The Glory of God

[Sean James]

By spending time with Jesus, we are SO BLESSED! Then we can go forth to bless others because being with Jesus changes us to  become more like Him! All of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be revealed in our lives as we surrender fully to Christ and walk in humble, affectionate obedience to all of God's commandments!

It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.

As we associate together, we may be a blessing to one another. If we are Christ's, our sweetest thoughts will be of Him. We shall love to talk of Him; and as we speak to one another of His love, our hearts will be softened by divine influences. Beholding the beauty of His character, we shall be “changed into the same image from glory to glory.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.

God keeps His word. By beholding Christ, we will be changed. Not one need be lost if each will come to Jesus and let Him change our hearts, minds and lives as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in how God leads us day by day in preparation for heaven!

[Sean James]

You have infinite value to God. Jesus sought to help all and reveal the Father's love in a way that people could understand. As we abide in Christ in a full-heart surrender, we can go and do likewise as we let the Holy Spirit manifest thorough us all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing as we come into true obedience to all of God's commandments!

He taught all to look upon themselves as endowed with precious talents, which if rightly employed would secure for them eternal riches. He weeded all vanity from life, and by His own example taught that every moment of time is fraught with eternal results; that it is to be cherished as a treasure, and to be employed for holy purposes. He passed by no human being as worthless, but sought to apply the saving remedy to every soul. In whatever company He found Himself, He presented a lesson that was appropriate to the time and the circumstances. He sought to inspire with hope the most rough and unpromising, setting before them the assurance that they might become blameless and harmless, attaining such a character as would make them manifest as the children of God. Often He met those who had drifted under Satan's control, and who had no power to break from his snare. To such a one, discouraged, sick, tempted, and fallen, Jesus would speak words of tenderest pity, words that were needed and could be understood. Others He met who were fighting a hand-to-hand battle with the adversary of souls. These He encouraged to persevere, assuring them that they would win; for angels of God were on their side, and would give them the victory. Those whom He thus helped were convinced that here was One in whom they could trust with perfect confidence. He would not betray the secrets they poured into His sympathizing ear.

As we let Jesus weed all vanity from our lives, we can be filled with the intense purpose to proclaim the everlasting gospel to the whole world in preparation for Christ's soon return (see Revelation 14:6-12, Matthew 24:14). Such a purpose will give depth, stability and Christlike loveliness to the character as God's plans are fulfilled in the converted lives of His children!

[Sean James]

Why is temperance so important? As we look at the experience of John, the forerunner of Christ, we see that God desires the minds and bodies of His people to be cleansed from defiling addictions and lusts that would becloud the mind and make it impossible to discern the significance of eternal realities.

As a prophet, John was “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” In preparing the way for Christ's first advent, he was a representative of those who are to prepare a people for our Lord's second coming. The world is given to self-indulgence. Errors and fables abound. Satan's snares for destroying souls are multiplied. All who would perfect holiness in the fear of God must learn the lessons of temperance and self-control. The appetites and passions must be held in subjection to the higher powers of the mind. This self-discipline is essential to that mental strength and spiritual insight which will enable us to understand and to practice the sacred truths of God's word. For this reason temperance finds its place in the work of preparation for Christ's second coming.

Jesus is coming again VERY SOON! Let us be temperate in all of our habits and choices, abstaining from all harmful things and moderately using that which is healthful. Laying aside alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, drugs, and unclean meat, while also seeking to replace animal flesh and dairy with plant foods that are healthier, God desires to have us make every choice in reference to His glory! With proper nutrition, exercise, water, sunshine, temperance, fresh air, proper rest and trust in God, we can be living witnesses of God's healing power. While we face trials and tribulations in a fallen world, God calls upon us to keep His purposes foremost in our minds. "But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:15-16). We are called to be holy, that the holy message God desires to give through us may rightly impress our minds and those who hear it (see Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Revelation 14:6-12).

[Sean James]

Happy Sabbath!

As we reflect on the deep significance of Christ's baptism, we see that though He would be misunderstood on earth, He knew His mission clearly from the Scriptures, and pressed on in the way of faith to give us the gift of salvation. We can be so thankful that no matter how sinful or imperfect we may be, the Lord holds out to us the offer of eternal life as we surrender the whole heart to Jesus! All of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will come into the life that is yielded unreservedly to God's will, for God makes it possible for the converted soul to be cleansed from sin and live in harmony with His law of love!

Upon coming up out of the water, Jesus bowed in prayer on the river bank. A new and important era was opening before Him. He was now, upon a wider stage, entering on the conflict of His life. Though He was the Prince of Peace, His coming must be as the unsheathing of a sword. The kingdom He had come to establish was the opposite of that which the Jews desired. He who was the foundation of the ritual and economy of Israel would be looked upon as its enemy and destroyer. He who had proclaimed the law upon Sinai would be condemned as a transgressor. He who had come to break the power of Satan would be denounced as Beelzebub. No one upon earth had understood Him, and during His ministry He must still walk alone. Throughout His life His mother and His brothers did not comprehend His mission. Even His disciples did not understand Him. He had dwelt in eternal light, as one with God, but His life on earth must be spent in solitude.

Though Jesus walked alone on earth, He trusted the Father's love and chose to believe His mission must be fulfilled in the very way specified by the Scriptures in becoming our sin bearer, dying as our sacrifice, to rise from the grave and offer us His victory over sin and death. As we learn of Him and internalize our mission to give the gospel to the world (Matthew 24:14, Revelation 14:6-12), we find comfort in Jesus' selfless example, as His love constraints us to be willing to go to the ends of the earth in accordance with God's will and plan! Jesus is coming again soon, and He calls all according to our talent and ability to help herald His everlasting gospel, both by the life we live the message we give in harmony with His inspiration!

[Sean James]

Trust God's love, and obey His word. If we really believe that God loves us, and means to do us good, we can rely fully on Him in every trial and temptation and walk in harmony with His word as we surrender our life fully into His hands. All of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will flow forth from a life that is unreservedly and completely surrendered to God so that true obedience up to the light God has revealed becomes the delight of the soul!

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Often the follower of Christ is brought where he cannot serve God and carry forward his worldly enterprises. Perhaps it appears that obedience to some plain requirement of God will cut off his means of support. Satan would make him believe that he must sacrifice his conscientious convictions. But the only thing in our world upon which we can rely is the word of God. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33. Even in this life it is not for our good to depart from the will of our Father in heaven. When we learn the power of His word, we shall not follow the suggestions of Satan in order to obtain food or to save our lives. Our only questions will be, What is God's command? and what His promise? Knowing these, we shall obey the one, and trust the other.

As in Scripture we see Jesus faithfully enduring every trial by relying on His Father's love, we can be encouraged to do the same by abiding in Him. God loves us and never changes, so whatever you face today, remember that if you are truly converted, He will give you the strength and grace to do what is right in each situation because through prayer and reliance on God's promises, He will instruct and teach you in the way you should go!

[Sean James]

We all face temptation, which is a solicitation sin--to do something against God's will and word. But we can resist each temptation by relying upon God's word through fully surrendering to Jesus as a personal Savior! When Christ abides in us, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be revealed in our lives as we are empowered to obey His law of love up to the light of truth we have come to understand.

So we may resist temptation, and force Satan to depart from us. Jesus gained the victory through submission and faith in God, and by the apostle He says to us, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.” James 4:7, 8. We cannot save ourselves from the tempter's power; he has conquered humanity, and when we try to stand in our own strength, we shall become a prey to his devices; but “the name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10. Satan trembles and flees before the weakest soul who finds refuge in that mighty name.

Let us always find refuge in Jesus, and not yield even by a thought to the devil's lies and temptations!

[Sean James]

By surrendering fully to Christ, let us enter into His experience, for this alone will enable the soul to have all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing in the life, leading to true obedience to all of God's commandments! Then the witness of such a life will be winsome like Jesus, wooing souls to heaven in God's appointed way!

The teaching of Christ was the expression of an inwrought conviction and experience, and those who learn of Him become teachers after the divine order. The word of God, spoken by one who is himself sanctified through it, has a life-giving power that makes it attractive to the hearers, and convicts them that it is a living reality. When one has received the truth in the love of it, he will make this manifest in the persuasion of his manner and the tones of his voice. He makes known that which he himself has heard, seen, and handled of the word of life, that others may have fellowship with him through the knowledge of Christ. His testimony, from lips touched with a live coal from off the altar, is truth to the receptive heart, and works sanctification upon the character.

God desires to sanctify and make us holy, for happiness is the result of holiness, enabling us to be more like Jesus each day by beholding His loveliness of character!

[Sean James]

Why did Jesus do what He did? It was all out of love! Jesus loves to see happy, godly marriages and happy families experiencing His will in their lives. Yet in all of His interactions with people in various life seasons, including when He was at the marriage feast, He sought to point their thoughts up to heavenly things that are eternal. As we surrender our whole heart to Jesus, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will flow in our lives as are empowered by God to live in true obedience to God's commandments! What a blessing it is to look to Jesus and grow more like Him day by day!

Jesus reproved self-indulgence in all its forms, yet He was social in His nature. He accepted the hospitality of all classes, visiting the homes of the rich and the poor, the learned and the ignorant, and seeking to elevate their thoughts from questions of commonplace life to those things that are spiritual and eternal. He gave no license to dissipation, and no shadow of worldly levity marred His conduct; yet He found pleasure in scenes of innocent happiness, and by His presence sanctioned the social gathering. A Jewish marriage was an impressive occasion, and its joy was not displeasing to the Son of man. By attending this feast, Jesus honored marriage as a divine institution.

If we value what God values, then we get to experience the joy of the Lord! While the world seeks to corrupt and confuse the very things God gave for our happiness (especially marriage and the Sabbath, both established in Eden), Jesus sets the perfect example to keep things in their proper perspective! He hallowed the marriage relation by His presence at the wedding as recorded in John 2 and showed that He is Lord of the Sabbath by keeping it according to God's word! While we can gladly look forward to heaven, God desires us in this life to be happy, peaceful and obedient as the kind of witnesses that reflect His character in a way to make His kingdom and service appear attractive--as it really is! Loving and lovable Christians are a some of the most powerful witnesses in favor of the reality of true Christianity!

[Sean James]

What an incredible, high purpose our lives have!

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17. No man can of himself cast out the evil throng that have taken possession of the heart. Only Christ can cleanse the soul temple. But He will not force an entrance. He comes not into the heart as to the temple of old; but He says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.” Revelation 3:20. He will come, not for one day merely; for He says, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; ... and they shall be My people.” “He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” 2 Corinthians 6:16; Micah 7:19. His presence will cleanse and sanctify the soul, so that it may be a holy temple unto the Lord, and “an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:21, 22.

When Christ abides in us, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be revealed in the life that is brought into true obedience to all of God's commandments! The heart that is fully surrendered to Christ is cleansed from sin so the joy of divine communion becomes the highest delight, and the subtle and deceptive "pleasures of sin for a season" (Hebrews 11:25) are cast away as worthless. Confessing and forsaking all sin in the true repentance that is the gift of God, the focus of the life is transformed for the glory of God and the saving of souls!

[Sean James]

He's moving and wooing. Are you letting the Holy Spirit, like the wind, lead you to full surrender to Christ? If so, there will supernaturally come into your life all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing in harmony with God's law of love, leading you in His plan for your life.

While the wind is itself invisible, it produces effects that are seen and felt. So the work of the Spirit upon the soul will reveal itself in every act of him who has felt its saving power. When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven. No one sees the hand that lifts the burden, or beholds the light descend from the courts above. The blessing comes when by faith the soul surrenders itself to God. Then that power which no human eye can see creates a new being in the image of God.

Let us experience this ever more deeply each day as we pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us and grow us more like Christ!

[Sean James]

Happy Sabbath! Let Christ empty you of self and then fill you with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing so you can gladly walk in the path of obedience and selfless service to glorify God!

So with the followers of Christ. We can receive of heaven's light only as we are willing to be emptied of self. We cannot discern the character of God, or accept Christ by faith, unless we consent to the bringing into captivity of every thought to the obedience of Christ. To all who do this the Holy Spirit is given without measure. In Christ “dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and in Him ye are made full.” Colossians 2:9, 10, R. V.

[Sean James]

Is Jesus thirsty?

Our Redeemer thirsts for recognition. He hungers for the sympathy and love of those whom He has purchased with His own blood. He longs with inexpressible desire that they should come to Him and have life. As the mother watches for the smile of recognition from her little child, which tells of the dawning of intelligence, so does Christ watch for the expression of grateful love, which shows that spiritual life is begun in the soul.

When we respond to the grace of God in full surrender, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing are revealed in our lives as we come into obedience to all of the light of His truth that we have come to understand and know. We can be so grateful for the goodness of God that leads us to repentance and the strength given us in Him! He is the living water to satisfy our souls!

[Sean James]

Life is a lot like a mosaic. While we may not see it at the time, the different experiences, trials, and blessings all have their part in the Master Artist's design to woo us to Him so our hearts will gladly, fully surrender to the constraint of His infinite love. In the case of the nobleman in Capernaum, he may have only seen the immediate piece of the life puzzle as a situation in which his son with a fever desperately needed healing. In his mind, if Christ should heal his son, then he would believe in Him as the Messiah. Jesus, who read his heart as an open book, wanted to give him something even more--the gift of salvation and a surrendered heart in which all of the fruits of the Spirit are revealed without one missing as the life is brought into true obedience to God's law. God in His infinite wisdom and love saw this experience as an opportunity to convert the nobleman's heart AND convert his whole family! Praise God!! If we would but allow God to work out what He designs in each experience and really believe that He loves us, we could have a lot happier pilgrimage in our earthly life on our way to our heavenly home! Let's start singing glory to His name!!

The nobleman wanted to see the fulfillment of his prayer before he should believe; but he had to accept the word of Jesus that his request was heard and the blessing granted. This lesson we also have to learn. Not because we see or feel that God hears us are we to believe. We are to trust in His promises. When we come to Him in faith, every petition enters the heart of God. When we have asked for His blessing, we should believe that we receive it, and thank Him that we have received it. Then we are to go about our duties, assured that the blessing will be realized when we need it most. When we have learned to do this, we shall know that our prayers are answered. God will do for us “exceeding abundantly,” “according to the riches of His glory,” and “the working of His mighty power.” Ephesians 3:20, 16; 1:19.

[Sean James]

Jesus didn't break the Sabbath or commit blasphemy. But Satan stirred up those whose minds were not fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit to hurl charges at Jesus that were false. We need to let the word of God reveal to us God's true character, will and purpose--not only so we can see Him clearly so as to love, worship and obey Him in true conversion, but so we can follow in His steps of faithfulness!

Jesus repelled the charge of blasphemy. My authority, He said, for doing the work of which you accuse Me, is that I am the Son of God, one with Him in nature, in will, and in purpose. In all His works of creation and providence, I co-operate with God. “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do.” The priests and rabbis were taking the Son of God to task for the very work He had been sent into the world to do. By their sins they had separated themselves from God, and in their pride were moving independently of Him. They felt sufficient in themselves for all things, and realized no need of a higher wisdom to direct their acts. But the Son of God was surrendered to the Father's will, and dependent upon His power. So utterly was Christ emptied of self that He made no plans for Himself. He accepted God's plans for Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans. So should we depend upon God, that our lives may be the simple outworking of His will.

In complete surrender to Christ we find an amazing experience of rest from self and sin while also being constrained forward in good works of love and mercy, for Christ abiding in us by the Holy Spirit not only produces love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, and righteousness in truth (without one of the fruit of the Spirit missing), but He empowers us to obey Him up to the light He's shown us on the path He knows is best for the fulfillment of His omnipotent purposes! God designs to save each soul, and as we cooperate with Him, He makes it possible for us to be a part of this amazing work of redemption, in harmony with what He said would happen before He returns (Matthew 24:14, Matthew 28:18-20, and Revelation 14:6-12 give us clear guidance)! Praise the Lord!

[Sean James]

How much do you trust God? With your whole heart? Because if you do, it means you accept that His leading is best, and may not look the way you thought. Through a full-heart surrender, it is the intimate union and communion with God in Christ, beholding the loveliness of Jesus in His selfless life and ministry, that makes it possible for the soul to bear each trial as an impetus for rejoicing, reflecting even more fully all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing. Even when it is very difficult to bear, God will enable His trusting children to remain obedient to all of His Ten Commandments. The faith of Jesus is inseparable from obedience to all the commandments of God, and such a supernatural experience is offered all who fully trust Christ. Let God lead you. It will be best!

God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him. Not Enoch, who was translated to heaven, not Elijah, who ascended in a chariot of fire, was greater or more honored than John the Baptist, who perished alone in the dungeon. “Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Philippians 1:29. And of all the gifts that Heaven can bestow upon men, fellowship with Christ in His sufferings is the most weighty trust and the highest honor.