The Biblical Path of Life

Tag: Glorify

  • Works Shall be Made Manifest

    “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”

    1 Corinthians 3:13

    Once one believes that Jesus died upon the cross to pay for sin, then trusts in Jesus as one’s Lord, there is a growing process that is to begin. Christians learn to walk in obedience to God’s Word. We must also learn to joyfully surrender to His will. Christians are to lay aside the sinfulness of this world, in obedience to God, understanding one day we will be with Him in heaven (see Romans 6:12-13). So as we live here on earth, Christians are to live lives for Christ.

    There are many lives recorded in the Bible that are examples to help us understand how to live as a Christian. Paul was one of the great ones. He recognized the importance of obedience, and recorded the following to help us understand. “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). This verse does not mean that one “works” for his salvation. Work out means “to work fully, that is, accomplish; by implication to finish… perform, work out; toil; commit.” Christians are to allow the salvation (that we already have because of Jesus) to be manifested (revealed by how we live Christ-like) in the expression of this new life. Christians need to live Christ-like for our own benefit. However, it is more than this. It is also important for Christians to accomplish, finish, what God has for us to do while we live here in this world. This verse emphasizes that it is each Christian’s responsibility. Salvation here means “of the present experience of God’s power to deliver.”

    The greatest thing to recognize is that Christians have been given the Holy Spirit within to teach us and lead us into the truths found in God’s Word. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). God promises that He will work in our lives, helping us to do what is right and pleasing to Him. God working in Christians emphasizes that God enables us; for we cannot do it on our own. When you read “both to will”, it is letting Christians know that it is to be our desire to do what God expects of us. When you read “and to do,” we understand that all that we do for the Lord here depends upon His working in us, fulfilling His plan. He allows us to accomplish things for Him while we are on this earth – if we will only obey Him. Remember: we are not doing it alone – for God’s power is helping us. We are to not come short of what God has for our lives here on the earth. Christians are to actually accomplish what God has for us to do.

    There is a picture for us that may help in understanding how we can please God. “11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13. Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward” (1 Corinthians 3:11-14). Once I belong to Jesus (He is my foundation), I choose how to build my life here on this earth. In verse twelve, we find six things built upon the foundation “which is Jesus Christ”. The first three listed (gold, silver, and precious stones), picture things that glorify God. Fire cannot destroy the first three. Fire purifies them. However, fire will destroy the last three mentioned (wood, hay, stubble). These things are representative of things from this life and world that we cannot take with us into eternity. It is important that we choose to build lives here that glorify God, and to not choose the temporary things of the here and now. One day, when I stand before God, I will account for the kind of life I lived for Him. My salvation was determined when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. However, one day I will be rewarded for the things I have accomplished for the Lord. (“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” Ephesians 2:10. Also see Romans 8:1). Anything I have done that did not glorify Him will be burned up – for “it shall be revealed by fire”.

    Something that should make the choices in this life easier: Christians are to remember that our lives are no longer our own, for we have been bought with a price. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Remembering that Jesus gave His life to purchase each Christian’s salvation, Christians are to choose to accomplish the things He has for us to do, pleasing Him.

    Have you chosen to fill your life with the things of this world that will one day be “revealed by fire”?

    Or

    Have you determined to build your life with things that glorify God, looking forward to a reward from Him?

  • Jesus’ Prayer

    “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

    John 15:13

    We have heard all of our lives that God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to save us from our sin. But have you ever thought about how Jesus felt on the eve of that event? Consider Jesus’ prayer as He was about to give up His life – for us. As we read the prayer from His heart (see John 17), recognize how His heart was opened up and revealed for us to understand His heart’s desire as He prayed to His Father. If you take time to look back at Psalm 22, one can understand that Jesus knew of the suffering He was about to endure on the cross for our sins. This will help us understand more clearly the love Jesus had for us, His friends. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

    Understanding the suffering death He was about to endure, Jesus did just what we have learned that we should do – He took the issues of His heart to God. “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:1). (Preparationsmeans “preparing for a particular purpose”.) Jesus’ heart was preparing for the task at hand. “1. These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:1–4). Glorifymeans “to reveal the divine character and attributes of God”. (See John 2:11; John 11:40; John 12:23-35; John 13:31-32 of a few instances where Jesus glorified God.)

    Remember: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). Jesus understood this and mentioned it in His prayer. He understood that His life here on this earth was to reveal God to man. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The only way the world could be saved was to know God and what He did for mankind (sending His Son to be the propitiation for our sins). “9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9–10). (Propitiation is “the means of putting away sin and establishing righteousness—only by Jesus presented as the righteous one, making payment for sin; once and for all”.) This was the work that God sent Jesus to do.

    Think about some of the finished work of Christ when He came. His miracles and messages, the training of His disciples for future work, and ultimately the required sacrifice. “11. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13. From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified… 17. And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:11-14, 17-18). (See also Hebrews 9:24-28.)

    Recognizing this, we must understand that because of this finished work, Believers can have the gift of eternal life. “2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:2-3).

    Something exciting to consider: Believers are the Father’s gift to His Son, Jesus (see John 17:2, 6, 9, 11-12, 24 and especially notice that Believers today are included in John 17:20). We remember God’s gift to us (see John 3:16). But it should be special to us that we are God’s gift to His Son, Jesus. The only work we can do to achieve this status is found in John 6:29: “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” We must believe on Jesus.

    Have you believed, receiving the gift of eternal life, becoming one that Jesus prayed for in the garden?

    Have you become a gift from God to Jesus?

    http://biblicalpath.com/index.php/how-to-be-saved/

  • A Warning

    “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
    1 Corinthians 6:20

    One cannot help but remember a very strange event that happened in the Old Testament. There was a man of God sent to King Jeroboam to warn him not to practice the false religion that he was establishing. King Jeroboam rejected the message and told his men to “lay hold on him.” When King Jeroboam stretched out his hand against the man of God, his hand dried up so that he could not pull it back to himself. He asked the man of God to pray for his hand to be restored. And it was. The king had rejected the message for we read that he continued to practice his false religion (see 1 Kings 14:9).

    After delivering the message and the healing of Jeroboam’s hand, the man of God prepared to return home. When the king invited the man of God to his home to refresh himself and give him a reward, the man of God declared that God had given him specific instructions: “For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest” (1 Kings 13:9). And this what the man of God chose to do. Obey God.

    While on his way home, “an old prophet in Bethel” heard what happened and invited the man of God to come home and eat with him. The man of God told the old prophet: “For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest” (1 Kings 13:17). Yet the old prophet answered, “… I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him” (1 Kings 13:18). Did you notice what happened? This old prophet stated that he had a “word of the Lord” declaring this man of God was to go home with him and eat. We read something that the man of God did not recognize. This old prophet “lied unto him.” The man of God listened to him, went to his house and ate with him. Then the man of God learned that he would die because of his disobedience to God. While on his way home, a lion met the man of God along the way and killed him. Then the lion stood by the dead man of God and his donkey as people walked by and saw.

    Why did this man of God die? He had previously obeyed God by delivering His message to King Jeroboam and even prayed for the healing of his hand. Yet one who claimed to have a “word” from God for him had deceived him. He then disobeyed God’s Word that had been directly given to him.

    Of all of the good the man of God had done, all saw when he had been deceived.

    There are so many things that a Christian should learn from this incident:

    • Satan wants to destroy Christians: see 1 Peter 5:8
    • If Satan cannot destroy, he wants to deceive: see 2 Corinthians 11:3-4
    • We are warned to not compromise, for our words become invalid: see Proverbs 25:26
    • A warning to not even eat with one called a brother if they live a sinful lifestyle: see 1 Corinthians 5:11-13
    • Be careful to whom you listen, watching out for false prophets: see 1 John 4:1
    • Be careful to not listen to “seducing spirits” (means one who is misleading or an imposter): see 1 Timothy 4:1
    • Understand false teachers are here and will try to deceive you: see 2 Peter 2:1-3

    In this recollection of the man of God who succumbed to the old prophet’s deception, recognize something important. This man of God did not compromise his message (for it was from God); however, he did compromise his conduct. The man of God paid for his disobedience with his life. Remember: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

    It takes a commitment to live a life pleasing to God. Do not compromise or be deceived by a false teacher. 

    Have you committed to live a life pleasing to God in your word and conduct?