These Days

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

We live in a world where our time is bombarded with terror, ill will, feckless commentaries, not to mention the amount of personal distress we all undergo. There are so many offerings of answers which will have no impact on events but gives the authors of those commentaries a space to make a living off of doubt and fear.

What should Christians do in these days?

Stay on point.

God has given you a calling, a ministry and gifts to accomplish all that He has set before you to accomplish.

2 John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

Revelation 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

Do you trust God?

Then do not be distracted by all that is going on around you. Keep on point, do the Lord’s bidding and trust that all will work out according to His plan, His will, and to His glory.

The promise of Revelation 21:24 is an end result but the exhortation of 2 John 1:6 is how we get to that end result. It is the Way. Isaiah 26:3 is how we stay on point.

Revisit

Galatians 5:6b faith which worketh by love.

Let us revisit this verse from yesterday. Yesterday our focus was on the amplified verse and all that goes with that deeper understanding. At the end I alluded to you that faith is more than mere belief. That is true and could lead to another meaningful study, but not today.

There are seven words in the Greek which can be translated as love. Here it is the word agape. There is no amplified expression given. The AMPC writers could have said God’s perfect love which would have been an expression which meant something to readers who are not possessed by agape.

Allow me for a moment to offer yet another translation of this verse, which is not an authorized version.

Galatians 5:6b faith which responds to agape.

I have faith in my brakes but my brakes are not God. I could give you a whole list of issues like this to demonstrate why faith and belief are changed in the presence and motivation of God Himself. The essence of God is His glory, reputation, represented in this church age by His Son Jesus Christ and witnessed by the Holy Spirit who moves in power to exact His will. It is a coordinated effort of which we are the final expression of agapē who has set us in motion in the first place.

We walk by faith but it is agapē that tells us when to move, what pace to set, which direction to go, when to stop, and sets the agenda for that appointment He made for us at that time.

Isaiah 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.