cooperfred

No one in this culture likes to be judged because it is in man's fallen nature to feel that he is alright, and that there is no higher standard to which he is accountable. When we feel we are being judged by someone else, whether it is a true judgement or not, it ****** at our conscience, because we know that we are not as we should be. God must judge sin. For true love cannot allow sin to remain. If it allowed any evil at all it would not, and could not be true love. A love that would allow holiness and sin to remain side by side forever would be nothing but the passive indulgence of an unloving & uncaring diety. Love by it's very nature longs for the perfection of it's beloved & will yearn and work for that end. A so-called love that condones sin is at the best indifferent & at the worst hate. The Good News is that God will save those who believe & come to Him so that they will not face the bad news, Eternity without Him and without love. Any gospel without the teaching of final judgement is not the True Gospel. If there is no hell then what are believer's to be saved from. At best it would be a social gospel that could possibly help it's believers to live a more noble life down here, with no eternal consequences. It makes a mockery of Christ's death.

To be set apart (To God & from sin). We are set apart to God by the blood of Christ (Positionally) and become recipiants of His Righteousness. And by obedience we are set apart (Practically) by the Holy Spirit as He conforms us into Christ's Image. So often I try to be holy in myself but it cannot be accomplished without the Holy Spirit's power.

The focus of our hearts should be for Christ's return. Our hope should be set fully on it because it is the consumation of all a Christian truely longs for. Knowing this, That He Is Coming, we should desire to live Holy lives for His glory. Wanting to be pleasing to the One before Whom we will soon stand, or should I say, kneel before. When we loose sight of it we become sloppy & start getting entangled in the passing pleasures of this world.

The basis of Christian Joy is true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ through Whom we recieve the goal of that Faith, Salvation (Past, present and Future). Our joy is based on confidence in Christ & what HE HAS DONE. It is not an emotional experience but the basis of an emotional desire to praise Him. We can be filled with the Joy of the Lord even in the midst of trying situations, if are hearts are focused on Christ, the source of our Joy and the Author and Finisher of our faith.

God has often used difficult people & situations to bring about patience and love. Also even in sickness & times of physical distress God takes my eyes off this physical realm & makes me realize that the riches of this world pass away and thereby brings about a longing for heavenly things & increases my faith. Tested faith brings glory to Jesus only when we faithfully obey Him through trials & grow by them. Showing our faith is really in Him.

God watches over our salvation. He guards it and keeps it. We by faith lay hold on what God does.

When we are saved by the blood of Christ & recieve forgiveness for our sins, we are given , by the indwelling Holy Spirit, to live in obedience, and by that obedience are formed into Christ's image. God did not save us so that we could just go to Heaven, He saved us to be formed into Christ's image. If we say we are saved but there is no evidence of the redeeming work of Christ in our lives we are foolong ourselves. As James said 'faith without works is dead'. We are saved by Grace through faith. We are saved unto good works not by them.