SPIRITUAL MENTAL PREPARATION (PART 1)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control.

1 Peter 1:13a NLT

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Those who know me are aware that I spent a large part of my life serving in the military, nearly 29 years. During the final seven years of that time, I had the privilege to lead at the highest level of the senior enlisted ranks across four different command tours. As I served in that management capacity, I developed several tried and true principles that I have carried with me and promoted during the past twelve years since retirement. Here’s one of them:

Success in accomplishing things is usually 99 percent preparation and 1 percent execution.

In other words, the better prepared for what you are trying to do, the better chance you have of doing it well.

For example, I had the privilege to provide oversight for many military functions and one of the most involved in nature was a retirement ceremony. With all the typical pomp and circumstance, there were a lot of moving parts and if you wanted things to go well, practice was paramount. So in regard to any ceremony I was involved in, there would be extensive rehearsal and we would take participants through the paces of whatever part they held.

The color guard would practice coming into the ceremony, presenting colors properly, and then exiting the right way.

The sideboys, bell ringer, and boatswain's mate would run through coming into the ceremony, taking their places, and rendering proper honors as the ceremony dignitaries would enter and exit. It was important to make sure the proper number of bells was struck and hand salutes rendered properly as the boatswain mate piped each ceremony official in and out.

On many occasions, the retiree would want a flag passing evolution within the ceremony and that would involve more practice by those who represented the different ranks the retiree held. Usually, the passing was done as the words of “Old Glory” were recited and music played in the background. It was critical that the flag was passed at just the write pace so to end right when the reading finished.

The 99 percent preparation part of my principle ensured that we were ready to go on the day of the ceremony and if we did our job right in getting ready, then actually doing things when the chips were down was easy. That was the 1 percent part.

Why get into all this?

Because it is an illustration I want to use to kick off a series of messages titled, “Spiritual Mental Preparation”, a series where we will see the important of preparing our minds and hearts the right way in order to be successful in execution what the Lord wants us to do.

Let’s take a look at these ten words found in the first half of verse 13 of 1 Peter, chapter 1:

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self control. (NLT)

Note here how God’s Word makes it very clear that before we do anything, it’s important to “prepare” our “minds for action” and make sure that exercising “self control” is a part of preparation.

In what ways should we carry out this spiritual mental preparation?

Let’s discuss a few

The first thing that comes to mind immediately is prayer and it makes total sense if you think about it. For if we really want to make sure that our actions are done in the way He wants them to be done, then we should simply ask Him. When we do, I guarantee you that He will tell us what we need to know so to do exactly what He wants.

The second thing we should do is to read and know God’s Word. Within the Bible, from Genesis through Revelation, the Lord informs us how He expects us to live. He tells us what to do and what not to do, and He expects us to comply with absolute, unwavering obedience.

Finally, we need to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and then do as He leads. He is the great Counselor and Advocate that Jesus promised God would send to do what He had done when He walked the earth. His disciples then, and now, don’t need to worry about knowing how they should act or speak or think. All they need to do is to fully submit to the guidance that the Spirit gives.

We are to do what He tells us to do. We are to say or write the words He wants us to say or write. And we are to allow Him to dictate and distill our thoughts, thoughts which often serve as the root for our communicated words and performed actions.

Doing the right thing, the thing that the Lord favors, requires intentional spiritual mental preparation. Tomorrow, we’ll see the importance of being focused on grace.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE LONGING OF PROPHETS OF OLD AND THE ANGELS

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when He told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and His great glory afterward.

They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

1 Peter 1:10-12 NLT

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Jesus’ coming wasn’t supposed to be a surprise to anyone. God didn’t intend it to be that way and the Old Testament testifies to it in many places, particularly through the words of the prophets.

Isaiah is the one where we find the most references to the coming Messiah who would be given the name Jesus. Early on in the book, we read these words:

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and will call him Immanuel. 7:14

The people walking in darkness have seen a great Light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a Light has dawned.

For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end. 9:2, 6-7

While these verses speak of Jesus’ coming into the world, a Son given in birth through a virgin to be the Light of a world that was walking and living in great darkness. Later, we read about what would happen at the end of Jesus’ life in chapter 53:

He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire Him.

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem.

Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment, He was taken away. Yet who of His generation protested? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was punished.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life an offering for sin, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. After He has suffered, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge, My righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Speaking through Isaiah, God was giving His people a preview of what was to come approximately 600 years later. As the Lord’s messenger, Isaiah knew what was coming but he didn’t know when.

The same was true for Micah who God used to give the place where the Messiah Jesus would be born but not the time it would happen.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me One who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. 5:2

And then there are these words from Zechariah as God speaks about Jesus’ future triumphal entry into Jerusalem to trigger the final week of His life, a final week that would end with His crucifixion and piercing. We also see God here affirming that He and His Son were one:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 9:9

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the One they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. 12:10

There are others we could look at here but the point is clear. These men that God spoke through each had different parts of the coming Messiah story to tell but they didn’t provide any time reference. Those they spoke to had no more notice about Jesus’ first coming than we do today about His second.

With this, we turn to the words of Peter as we continue to study from his first letter written to persecuted Christians “scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia” (v.1). Let’s look again at our passage for today:

This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when He told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and His great glory afterward.

They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen. 1:10-12 NLT

As Peter reminded his readers of the blessed living hope they had through their belief in Jesus, a living hope that would one day result in an everlasting life filled with “inexpressible and glorious joy”, he wants them to know that they know now what the “prophets wanted to know more about” when they “prophesied about” the coming “gracious salvation”. In sharing God’s word of His Son’s coming “suffering and His great glory afterward”, “messages...not for themselves” but for those who would read their words generation after generation, the prophets “wondered what time” all this would take place.

This “Good News” of salvation from God through His Son that was proclaimed by the prophets was the same Gospel that Peter’s reading had heard “preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven”. It’s the same Good News that we hear and receive today, like in this message for example. It’s “so wonderful” that the angels in Heaven, those who have never been separated from God and are unaware of life on earth and the struggles of sinners there, “long to look into these things” (v.12 NIV).  

Friends, so many people take a stance that the Old Testament isn’t significant, that the Christian church should be a New Testament church only. But as we see in today’s message, the Bible in its entirety, from Genesis to Revelation, is the story of God’s redemptive plan for Israel and all other nations through His one and only Son Jesus, a plan to save people from an eternity in Hell while inviting them into permanent residency with Him in the blessed beauty of Heaven.

With this, we should savor and enjoy every word we read from the scriptures and see how God connects everything from Alpha to Omega, all through His Son and our Savior, the Messiah Jesus.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

FAITH'S END RESULT

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:6-9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As a Christian believer, life is most often a marathon and not a sprint. Once we emerge from our mother’s womb, we set course on a journey that will last on nearly 80 years on average, the median 2024 expected life expectancy in America. That’s a lot of days for a person to exercise faith through the multitude of challenges that sheer living inevitably brings.

Thankfully, those who have placed their belief in Jesus have a living hope as we looked at in yesterday’s message and it’s that living hope that brings us a great reward at the end of this thing called life, a glorious end result of the faith we held onto over time.

What is that end result?

Look at these verses as we continue to study from the first chapter of 1 Peter:

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Vv. 6-9

In these words of encouragement shared with the Christians who lived in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (v.1) and to us today as we read God’s Word, we are reminded that although we may “suffer” through “grief in all kinds of trials”, we will one day reap the greatest gift ever from our Lord because of the “proven genuineness” of our faith. For when Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son, returns as He promised and “is revealed”, all who believed in Him will experience the blessed result, a result grounded in “praise, honor, and glory”. This is what the Apostle Paul was talking about when he wrote this in the eighth chapter of his letter to the Romans:

...those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. Vv.17-24

Indeed, on the day of Jesus’ return, we will share in His glory and be filled with the greatest measure of “inexpressible and glorious joy” that we have ever felt. For on that day, we will have made it through life and crossed the finish line, gaining our inheritance and changing our address permanently from the world to the place our Savior has prepared for us (John 14:1-3).

This is faith’s end result for all Christians, the sure finish for all those who are in Christ Jesus. Today and every day, join me in proclaiming these words Paul wrote in regard to the assurance of eternal life in 1 Corinthians:

“...thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 15:57

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A LIVING HOPE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in Heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we begin this second message from Peter’s first letter to his brother and sister Christians within the “provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia”, I love the opening sentence that follows his greeting:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! v.3

Frankly, all Christians should write this on their hearts and say it regularly, starting with the beginning of each day when we wake. For as soon as we come out of our slumber and awake into a new day, a day that the Lord has made, there is no better way to start rejoicing in it (Psalm 118:24) than to give God praise and then continue to do so every chance we get.

We should do this, not just because the Lord has blessed us with life in the here and now but because He has guaranteed us an eternal life with Him through our belief in His Son Jesus. This is what we find Peter reminding us as he continues in this passage. He writes:

In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in Heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. Vv. 3-5

Note that this isn’t hope deferred. It is a living hope we have now, vibrant and active in our lives every second of every minute of every hour of every day. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans when he writes:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 8:38-39

Indeed, it was by God’s love that we were chosen and given the opportunity to not perish but gain everlasting life through believing in His Son. Through “His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.”

Going back to Romans 8, we find the Word of God assuring us about our standing with God after believing in Jesus and gaining not only salvation but the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“...those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” Vv. 14-17

Friends, we have been co-heirs to the Kingdom of God from the very moment we chose to believe in Jesus as Savior. “This inheritance” is being “kept in Heaven” for us and we, “through faith” are “shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

In other words, no matter what life brings, whether it’s today or any day after, we have the victory over Hell, death, the grave, and ultimately Satan, a living hope God has given us through Jesus His Son.

With this, how could we not express our gratitude by saying...

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

...with every chance we get.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

AN OBSERVANCE OF SELFLESS SACRIFICE

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“I am the good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me—just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”

John 10:14-18

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Nearly 141 years ago, the United States was recovering from a long and bloody Civil War. Those who survived returned home weary and battle scarred, many severely wounded or disabled. Many never made it home with over 646 thousand Union forces and nearly 134 thousand Confederates losing their lives, all this within the boundaries of this great nation.

Our nation’s participation in armed conflict didn’t stop there. The Spanish-American War, World Wars 1 and 2, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq would follow and approximately another 625,000 would give their lives. And the death toll has not stopped yet…every day our servicemen and women continue to die in service to God and country.

While looking at these figures, it’s important for us to not lose sight that those who have died in conflict are more than just mere numbers. Each person had a life, a future they looked forward to, and a family back home that they loved and missed while in the midst of war. There was a human being just like you and I behind every casualty…and it would be inhumane to reduce them to a statistic. For their value was far greater than a number…their act of courage and sacrifice deserving of greater recognition, remembrance, and honor.

This was the mindset of Harry Welles, a small town drug store owner who worked and lived in Waterloo NY in 1886. He had watched those tired, wounded Civil War veterans come home and had listened intently to their stories as they shared their first-hand battlefield accounts. He marveled at their bravery and devotion to duty and felt impelled to do something to ensure that these courageous soldiers would not become an afterthought…to ensure they would always be remembered and honored.

And so he sprang to action, rallying local businesses and government leaders to close all shops in town each May 5th in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives in the war. On that day, flowers, wreathes, and crosses were laid on the graves of the Northern soldiers in Waterloo’s cemetery.

Elsewhere, retired Major General Jonathan Logan was putting together a separate ceremony, this one honoring all veterans who had survived the war. On May 30th, 1868, the ceremony involved a parade through town that stopped at the cemetery where flags were placed at the graves of fallen soldiers. It was a solemn occasion that residents named "Decoration Day". In his address that day, General Logan would state, "The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country and during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, hamlet, and churchyard in the land. In this observance, no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit."

From that day on, the northern states paused for commemoration annually on May 30th while the southern states would remember their dead on a different day. These ceremonies evolved to include children reading poems and singing civil war songs while veterans would go to schools wearing their medals and uniforms to tell students about their war experiences. Then the veterans would take their traditional march through the streets followed by all the town’s people, still stopping at the cemetery and decorating graves. Photographs of soldiers were taken standing next to the graves of fallen comrades and rifles were shot in the air in salute.

Fast forward to the 20th Century and 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed Waterloo, New York, the birthplace of Memorial Day, exactly 100 years after the first commemoration. Since that time, just as they had done before, town’s people still walk to the cemeteries and hold memorial services, decorating graves with flags and flowers. Then they walk back to the park in the middle of town near a monument dedicated to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines and listen to the reading of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address followed by Retired Major General Logan's Order # 11 designating Decoration Day.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday and changed the day of celebration to the last Monday in May. Since then, cities and towns across the United States have followed the lead of Waterloo, establishing special ceremonies to not only pay respect to the nation’s servicemen and women but also to loved ones who have died. Church services, visits to the cemetery, flowers on graves or even silent tributes mark the day with dignity and solemnity.

All and all, it’s a day of reflection…a day of remembrance for those who have passed, some having paid the ultimate sacrifice…protecting and securing our nation’s freedoms by laying their lives down for others and a cause greater than themselves.

In reflecting on this matter of sacrifice, I can’t help but also remember what happened 2,000 years ago, long before the United States came into existence…long before our Civil War. It too was a time of conflict and hardship…a time of turmoil and change…a time where people battled against one another within a promised land that God gave His chosen people…a time and place when one man was sent from heaven to earth to step forward and freely sacrifice Himself in service to humanity, paying the ultimate of all ultimate sacrifices.

This man, Jesus, was the very definition and model of the word service, never hesitating to teach, preach, heal, guide, and love anyone He encountered. His life wasn’t about what He could do for Himself, what gain He might enjoy, what success He might find, or what wealth He might amass. Empowered by God, His Father, He was all powerful and almighty, doing all things with the special authority placed within Him. Yet, He made Himself poor so that through His poverty we might be made rich, showing us it is much better to give than receive. Through His willingness to die for us, He showed us that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for His friends…and He did see us as friends even though our sins led Him to His demise.

Remembering Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, all seemed to be well. Honor and respect normally shown toward kings were being lavished on this Messiah that everyone had been eagerly awaiting since the days of the prophets. Who could have guessed at that point, that the same people who waved palm branches while shouting, "Hosanna, Hosanna!", would soon be shouting "Crucify, Crucify!"

Indeed, Jesus found few friends on the day of His crucifixion…no thanks for all He had done for His beloved people. After he had been arrested, wrongly convicted, bloodied, beaten, and sentenced to death, He was forced to participate in His own death march to Golgotha. The crowds that gathered were not there to pay homage or show gratitude. They were not ready to follow Him to His death to adorn Him with flowers of sympathy and respect. They were there to witness His execution…to see that the death sentence they demanded from Governor Pilate was carried out. They lined the streets that Jesus struggled to navigate, spitting on His blood stained body and hurling words of insult and derision. The depths of human failure were on full display as Jesus carried His cross to the place where they would drive nails through His hands and feet…the place where He would hang in agonizing pain inching toward death…a place where He would display His absolute mercy, compassion, and grace in the ultimate act of forgiveness as He asked His Father to forgive those who assailed Him, for they knew not what they were doing.

Jesus, our Savior, lived, loved, and served and He did so willingly, well knowing His coming fate… knowing that pain, humiliation, betrayal, sadness, and death awaited Him…and yet, He carried on. He could have saved Himself…He could have chosen to desert His mission – but He didn’t. For He had an incomprehensible love for something greater than Himself, namely us. Saving all mankind meant far more than saving Himself…the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the one. Jesus gave up His breath in death on the cross so He could breathe life into a people who were walking down the path of sinful self annihilation…three days later. His resurrection ushered in hope and the very opportunity for eternal life that we enjoy today.

In the end translation, Jesus’ crucifixion and subsequent resurrection was the greatest victory in the greatest battle ever fought. His victory over the world, over sin, over death, and over Satan provided us with the opportunity for victory as well…all He requires is that we place our trust and belief in Him.

So we must never lose sight that all that we are today, yesterday, and tomorrow is because of Jesus Christ. We love because He first loved us. We serve because He first served us. We understand sacrifice because He showed us what true sacrifice is all about. We’re free because He paid the price for us. We live because He died.

Not only this Memorial Day but every day, let us ever remember that Jesus was the One who first showed us the value of sacrificial service...service filled with courage, bravery, valor, and heroism. Thanks be to God for the indescribable gift of His Only Son.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

YOU ARE CHOSEN

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with His blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

1 Peter 1:1-2

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, we begin looking at the first of two letters written by Peter who we know was not only one of the first disciples personally called by Jesus but also a part of His inner circle along with James and John, also among the original four selected followers. You’ll remember Jesus telling them all that He would made them “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). In regard to Peter, we found this promise come to fruition after he received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13), ten days after Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:9). After his first sermon, the scriptures tell us that around 3,000 were added to the number of Christian believers (Acts 2:41).  

Although the exact date of authorship is unknown, it is believed that the letter was written in the early A.D. 60’s not later that A.D. 67/68 because Peter was martyred during the reign of Nero.

In 1 Peter 5:13, Peter indicates that he was in Babylon when he wrote to his audience which we know included the following people as we turn to our scripture passage for today:

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.

Here we see the Christian doctrine of divine election rise to the forefront and perhaps it’s one that a lot of believers are unaware of or fail to understand. As we see in the passage, the Peter’s brothers and sisters in “the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia” are called “God’s elect”, a people who had “been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father”. They were also labeled as “exiles” which simply meant that they weren’t in their final home, foreigners on earth waiting for deliverance to their eternal home of Heaven because of their belief in Jesus, the Jesus who cleansed them from their sin through “His blood”,

Now, when we think of the matter of election, we think about going to the polls to cast a vote for someone. In other words, we choose who we want to govern.

In the matter of divine election, it’s important to know that if people were left to their own devices, all would continue to place their own desires first and live gladly in their sinfulness. Thankfully, God didn’t wish for that to happen and so He chooses people (or elects) that He wants to be saved and fulfill His purposes. If you are a Christian believer, then you can’t take credit for your own saving. Rather, you need to thank God for electing you to gain salvation and serve Him by helping others He has chosen to receive their promise of eternal life themselves. In doing so, we are carrying on the work of our fellow Christians in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia more than 2,000 years ago.

In these opening verses, Peter reminds all Jesus believers that God has elected them to receive salvation and then serve Him forever as His children. Let us give thanks to Him, not just today but in every day we live before we leave behind our exile status and inhabit the place Jesus has prepared for us when He returns (John 14:3).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL INTERVENTION

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

James 5:19-20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

All of us are sinners who fall short of God’s glory, even Christians who have placed their belief in Jesus and gained the sure promise of salvation. Being a believer doesn’t somehow divorce someone from transgression and the Lord makes this crystal clear in His Word (Romans 3:23). All have sinned and fallen short...and all means all.  Therefore, everyone has failed and fallen short of being fully obedient to all God has commanded them to do and indeed continue to fail and fall. No one can say they aren’t guilty of this.

So yes, Christian believers, although free from the eternal condemnation and damnation of God’s judgment penalty of Hell, still can stray from their faith and go in the wrong direction, something that has been labeled backsliding. In this case, it is backsliding into sins they were supposed to have abandoned and left behind. In these cases, fellow Christians have a responsibility and obligation to do something as we see in today’s passage from the closing words of James, chapter 5:

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. Vv. 19-20

The call here is for spiritual intervention in the life of a Christian who has wondered “from the truth” which simply means living as Jesus lived, perfectly sinless and pleasing to God. Note that Christian brothers and sisters aren’t to just sit back and watch sin destroy their fellow believer. Rather, James is calling his fellow Hebrew Christians (and God is calling us as well) to do something, to intercede and step into the matter at hand, no matter how difficult and awkward it might be. It’s critically important because there’s too much at stake to do otherwise.

What’s at stake?

Well, we know that sin only results in terrible final outcomes like ruin and destruction...and even a loss of life if it’s allowed to run its course uninterrupted. If someone would fall overboard from a boat, left floundering in the water and in need of rescue, any true believer would quickly take action to try and save the other person. Christians who have went astray from what God calls them to do, wallowing in their iniquities likewise need someone to help rescue them.

So what can fellow Jesus followers do in these instances to get involved in assisting the wayward Christian brother or sister?

It can be as easy as prayer and that’s something anyone can do for another. Often times a Christian brother or sister who has wandered from the truth can be resistant to someone confronting them. Satan is great at getting people in denial or so ashamed in their sin that it is easier to deflect interventions than to face the transgression(s) head on. In the midst of that resistance, we can lift them up to the One who can penetrate even the most stubbornly resistant soul.

Not every brother or sister in Christ will reject someone showing love and caring, and in those cases, we should enter into dialogue with the sinner, openly discussing what is going on in a way that facilitates a pathway to legitimate change. This exchange of communication should involve lots of active listening on behalf of the person doing the intervention, allowing the stray Christian to talk about what’s going on in their life to possibly gain understanding on why they are doing what they are doing. This understanding is critical to developing a plan for repentance and the ensuing reconciliation with the Lord. This plan should also include prevention for a relapse and return to the iniquities the Christian is leaving behind.

As we wrap up our study of James, God is sending us a powerful exhortation. For it’s never okay to ignore the sins of a brother or sister Christian when we know they are engaging in them. Through this word, the Lord is sharing with us the critical importance of spiritual intervention and He expects us to get involved when the situation calls for it.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.