Calling All Christians! -Pt 2

Read 1Peter 1:13-16

In the passage above, a quotation from Leviticus 11:44-45, the OT tells us to "consecrate" ourselves and "be holy". Well, what does that exactly mean? The word consecrate means to make holy. Holy means to set apart. So, in other words, God is commanding us to set ourselves apart- for His purposes and because He is. Well, once we receive Jesus as our Lord, that is exactly what we do. We are washed clean from our past, born again as a new creation. However, as we discussed in part one of this topic, our flesh does not always want to die that fast! WE must make the choice to turn from our sinful nature and begin a new life in Jesus. Yes, we have been freed from all unrighteousness, but strongholds can and will remain. God has given us the tools, but it's up to us whether or not we want to walk in the destiny He has laid out before us.

In part one I focused on our words- watching what we say and using a God-given gift for the right use. Today I'm going to combine that with the topic of judgement; not us being judged, but rather, being cautious that we do not judge others. You know the Scripture: "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way that you judge, you will be judged...You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." -Matt 7:1-5 (NASB) Judging others can easily go hand in hand with gossip (words) and all of the destruction along with it. If we allow Satan to plant seeds of hate, anger, prejudice, and false teaching about others into our hearts, he can literally tear us apart form the inside out. I'm guilty of it, and I'm sure you are too. So, the question is, what are we going to do about it? As General Douglas MacArthur once said, "The greater the knowledge of the enemy, the greater the potential for victory." I have mentioned multiple times in my writings and speakings the importance of spending good, quality time with God is the best way to not only grow in your personal walk, but to fight off attacks and deception from the enemy. Given the fact that we are all sinful human beings and fall short of God's glory, yet He loves us unconditionally, none of us are fit to place judgement on others- for whatever reason. God loves you, just as you are. He did not nor does not see who you were or still may be. No, He sees you as His creation- perfect and holy.

"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." -Romans 8:29-30 (NKJV) God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to destroy the works of the devil, and take judgement off of ourselves and each other, and nail it to the cross once and for all. So does that mean we're free and clear from this sin? Well, yes and no. (See Romans 14:10) We are freed from the sin itself, but as with anything that involves free will, we can choose to fall back into it. However, as the verse I just mentioned states, we will all stand accountable for our choices one day before Jesus. We are living in a world that places judgement (whether it means to or not) on pretty much everything around us. Think about it. How does the world (not us individually) place judgement on our looks, weight, style, and personal lives? Well, I say not good. If there was healthy "recommendations" as opposed to judgement, there would be almost zero need for all of the diet fads and shows, magazine and advertisement smut, and media barrage that infiltrates and sabotages our family values. Have you seen "Courageous" yet? If not, I would highly recommend that you do- especially all of you men, whether you are dads or not. Dads, WE are called to be the spiritual leaders in our house- no one else. Before we can teach our children not to place judgement on anything or anyone, we need to take a deep moral inventory of ourselves and make sure we're lining up within God's parameters. Are we setting ourselves apart from the crowd? Will we stand alone for our (and our family's) beliefs and values if necessary? Remember, God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us, even while we were still sinners. So in "calling all Christians", I challenge you to take that step of faith, to seek out a family resolution like the one mentioned in the movie, and dedicate YOUR house to the serving of the Lord!