Good morning, all!
Father, we know You own the cattle on a thousand hills, Your love reaches the depths and heights, and Your wisdom is infinite. I pray that we trust You to fulfill our life, to complete us in every way and to know that we lack no good thing according to Your word. You ever feel like something is missing in your life? You know, lacking?
1 Thessalonians 3
10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?
We should be working on this one from morning to night that we might see our true identity and help perfect anything lacking from a life of faith.
11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.
Now the God in person, OUR Father, and OUR Lord of our life will guide the WAY we live life.
12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all [men], even as we [do] toward you:
And the Lord Himself make you to INCREASE and ABOUND…increase internally so that it’s expressed externally…LOVE toward one another and unto ALL in the world.
13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
And we know we’ve reached the END when our hearts are unblameable before God, yes, OUR Father which the COMING of Christ with ALL His saints.
Bottom line
While we can all probably rattle off what we think is lacking or what we think might be missing from our life, ultimately God knows what’s missing. And why might that be important to God? Might it be that we pursue things in our life when in fact it’s really not worth pursuing? In this passage here we’re called to pursue prayer EXCEEDINGLY night and day so that we can PERFECT the gaps we might have in our faith. How many folks are doing that EXCEEDINGLY? I mean I’ll give God at least 10 minutes in the morning and on a good day 5 minutes at night unless my head hits the pillow before my 5 minutes is up, then it’s over-Ha! As children of God, we are called to devote ourselves to perfecting our faith, which is to say we are to INCREASE and ABOUND in love. Didn’t Jesus tell the religious folks of his day they we’re like tombs filled with dead man bones because they declare to know God, but they don’t love people. God isn’t that concerned with what we know or believe but He does want us to make our faith perfect. Do you think we can reject people or dislike them and still make faith perfect? Why do you think OUR Father says He will direct our ways? When we don’t love people, our faith is lacking, I know we have our good reasons and all, but God isn’t interested in our reasons He’s interested in our FAITH.
[Luk 18:8 NIV] I tell you; he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? We think it’s our job to declare who is worthy of our love and who should we punish. Jesus addresses this issue with the UNJUST judge (the one who picks and chooses when to love). He says when He returns…He does return, He knows wrongs exist in life but what is He looking to FIND in the earth? FAITH…will He find us loving each other, by this the world will know you are my disciples IF you love each other. Did you notice who God calls us to love? ALL men…mankind. Is your faith perfect yet? Verse 13 answers that question, how will we know when we’ve reached the end…perfect faith? When our heart stands before God unblameable in holiness, which is another way of saying the life we live…we always stand before God. Is your heart unblameable or when you stand before God am I to blame when you don’t love me? You see an unblameable heart isn’t looking for an excuse or a reason to NOT love, instead it prays day and night and asks God to make love increase. What are you lacking this morning? Do you love more today than yesterday? Do you blame folks when you don’t love them? It’s okay you just haven’t reached the end yet.
Psa 119:112 KJV] I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes always, [even unto] the end. Our heart should perform ALWAYS to the end, I mean how else does a heart perform? God’s looking for a curtain call, don’t leave Him hanging…nothing but love to the end.
Point to Ponder
What are your pursuits today? [1Pe 4:8 ASV] Above all things being fervent in your love for each other; for love covereth a multitude of sins. I pray ABOVE all that we pursue in this life we find a new passion to pursue our love for each other and cover the past instead of re-living it, that’s when we reach the end and stand unblameable before God.
Let’s lack nothing but more love for one another, In Him Phil
Faith – Family – Friends
