 “Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This ‘letter’ is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:2b-3 (NLT).
Your life is a letter from Jesus to the world, showing the result of His work for you and through you. By His grace, God chose you to be His child. By his grace, God gave you new life through His Spirit and His Word. By His grace, God gave you a new nature and crucified your old nature. Now, by His grace, Jesus Christ has chosen to use you as a letter to the world. How is this possible? Who is actually writing? In this case, Jesus is speaking His life into you and you are writing the letter for Him. His grace allows you to write something imperfectly that comes from His perfect hand. His message is communicated through you, even as you learn and grow. When you were a child, you learned how to write. You started out with a simple knowledge of the alphabet and, with help, you wrote short words and sentences. Now that you are an adult, you are a mature writer who is skilled at expressing ideas. Similarly, when you are first brought into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, you are immature in your ability to write Christ’s letter to your friends and neighbors. As you have matured in your faith and knowledge of God’s Word, you have become more accurate in communicating the mind of Christ. Jesus Christ speaks through your testimony and lifestyle of godliness. Everyone can read your character and life choices, recognizing the work of God in your life. “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT). The grace of God unites your life with Christ’s life more consistently, as you participate in the means of grace and grow in maturity. The more that your ideas and actions sync up with Jesus’s, the more accurately you write His gospel letter to the world. Does this motivate you to more fully merge your life with His? Just as good writers use language to articulate, infer, invite, explain, and describe, so Jesus Christ expresses Himself through your attitudes, interests, ethics, emotions, and actions. Are there some childish things in your life that don’t communicate Christ’s message very clearly? As you merge your identity with Christ’s identity and your behavior with Christ’s behavior, you will become a clear message of hope, change, and redemption for the world to receive. Have you ever received a letter that smelled like perfume? Through God’s grace, you are a letter that is perfumed with the smell of Christ’s goodness. “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?” 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NLT). What do you think love smells like? Would you recognize the smell of patience and humility? Think about how Jesus handled conflict. He used strength, cunning, Scripture and logic. Think about what made Jesus angry. He hated the effects of sin and death on His creation. Greed and legalism angered Him. Unbelief and stubborn hearts made Him cry. His compassion motivated His long hours of physically healing sick people and delivering those demonically afflicted. If you were living during His three years of ministry, would you have recognized Him? Do people living with and around you recognize Him in you? “Clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” Romans 13:14 (NLT). Jesus Christ is the author of your salvation story, from redemption to regeneration to restoration. He redeemed you from death, slavery and Hell. He regenerated your spirit and is restoring your soul. Let your life be Christ’s letter written by the Spirit’s work in your heart and life. Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for making me new and giving me a new message to live out. Please show me what you think about the letter that I’m writing for Jesus. In Jesus’s name amen.”
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 “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT).
One of the most precious aspects of God’s grace is seen in His decision to love you and draw you into a relationship with Him through the work of Jesus Christ. Accept the fact that before Yahweh created the universe through the spoken words of Jesus Christ, He loved and chose you. “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” Ephesians 1:4-6 (NLT). God’s choice has elevated your worth to be incredibly valuable. Recognize the value that He has given you. Notice the love that He has for you. Think about the cost that He paid for you. Surrender your regrets, your pride, your hidden sins, your jealousies, and your bitterness. Respond to God’s grace by wearing your older Brother’s clothes, which are kindness, mercy, humility, compassion, gentleness and patience with yourself and others. “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” 1 Timothy 1:15 (NIV). Paul writes this verse while reflecting on his crimes against Jesus and His church before Jesus’s grace saved him. The grace of God was enough to wipe away the sins of the worst of sinners and change Paul into a saint. The grace of God was also enough to completely change the direction and desires of Paul’s life, resulting in Paul becoming an example of Christ on Earth. “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:11 (NIV). Paul responded to God’s grace and put on the clothes of Christ. This is another beautiful aspect of God’s grace, which is that He implants new desires and frees your will to follow those righteous desires. Not only are you chosen, holy and without fault in God’s eyes, you are also empowered by the Holy Spirit to leave behind the sinner’s nature and live in sync with Christ. “Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long.” Psalm 119:97 (NLT). These are the words of a chosen saint. The Holy Spirit plants the desires for meditation and holiness deep in your good heart. He then guides you in gardening those desires, resulting in His writing the laws of God into your soul. Where did your love for God’s laws come from? Who decides to think about them all day long? God’s grace does both. As you respond to the Holy Spirit’s gracious work, you will grow in grace. Salvation is already and not yet for each believer. All of salvation is a work of God’s grace, from your identity in Christ to your gardening your soul and adjusting your lifestyle to be Christ-centered. Grace has made you a saint with a good heart and a good nature. Grace gives you the ability and desire to garden that heart and live a good-natured life, forsaking the flesh and the sinner’s toxic choices. Read the following verses. Do the resonate with you? Can you see how God’s grace has immersed you into the ocean of His holiness? Do you love Him? Do you treasure His ways? He has made you into a saint. Respond to the grace that He has baptized you into and be determined to keep His words until the very end. “Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight. I am determined to keep your decrees to the very end.” Psalm 119:111-112 (NLT). Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for choosing me, loving, me and forgiving me. Please show me areas where I’m not responding to your grace. Please flow your grace into every area of my life. In Jesus’s name amen."  “When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.” Colossians 2:11-12 (NLT).
The glorious message of the gospel is captured in these two verses: Jesus Christ performed a spiritual surgery on you, removing your old nature and implanting your new nature. That surgery launched you into a life-long experience of being a saint. Your old sinful nature was cut away and replaced with a good nature. “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5 (ESV). God’s grace is a vast ocean of compassionate mercy. He saved you from being dead in your sins and living under His wrath. None of your good works could save you. Instead, because of His own mercy, the Holy Spirit washed your spirit and heart clean and regenerated you from a sinner into a saint. God’s grace is so incredible that it can change your nature from being a child of wrath into being a child of God. God has forgiven you. Can you forgive yourself? God has cleansed you from all unrighteousness. Can you accept His cleansing? Paul speaks of God’s grace like this: “Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:12-14 (NKJV). Before God’s grace qualified you through the work of Christ, you were self-centered, humanistic, and a sinner in the darkness. Then, He delivered you from the power of darkness and transferred your citizenship into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. You have been qualified to be God’s heir. Will you accept His inheritance? He wants you to realize that you are qualified. He wants you to live in His inheritance now. That inheritance is that you get to be His child and you get to receive all of His blessings through Jesus. Some of the blessings are automatically given to you and others you receive by faith as you participate in His means of grace. Your identity in Christ is automatically given to you when you are circumcised in your heart and receive a new spirit. Your soul’s alignment with that identity is a blessing that you experience over time as you live in sync with your identity in Christ. “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God… Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” Colossians 3:1-3, 10-11 (NLT). You have been raised to new life and your old nature was crucified on the cross with Jesus. Take off the old ragged remnants of your old sinful nature and put on the righteous robes of your new saintly nature. Put on your new nature and be renewed in your soul, as you learn who Jesus is and as you become like Him. It doesn’t really matter what your old identity was because Christ is all that matters. He lives in you, so you can live in step with Him. “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” Ephesians 4:22-24 (NLT). These verses are about the process of changing your soul and body to match your spirit. Recognize who you are and be that person. Being that person requires you to stop identifying as the wicked sinner and let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. You are created to be like God – truly righteous and holy. Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, It is easy for me to pivot between thinking that I deserve your grace and thinking that I am a worthless, wicked sinner. Please show me who I am and show me how to be that person. Please help me to be like Jesus – humble and truthful. In Jesus’s name amen.”  “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45 (NLT).
God’s grace gave you a good heart and God gives you the grace to be good hearted. Having a good heart is a result of a spiritual surgery that is done by the Holy Spirit, where He implants the life of Jesus into your spirit and soul. “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:28-29 (NKJV). When you are born again, you are changed into a new creation in Christ and your stubborn, humanistic heart is cut away. This is done by the Holy Spirit at the time of your conversion when He baptizes you into Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4 (NKJV). If you are a believer, think about these facts. You used to be a dead sinner, alienated from God and then you became an alive saint, united with God. Your heart used to a bank vault filled with rebellion and evil things and then your heart became a treasury of good things. These facts require you to answer two questions: Am I living as an alienated sinner or as a reconciled child of God? Am I storing up treasures of goodness in my good heart or am I burying garbage in the soil of my heart? Sometimes, the way that you view yourself becomes your focus. If you view yourself as wretched, it becomes difficult to produce purity. Jesus teaches that “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8 (NLT). There is a very simple Kingdom principle, which is that God has blessed each believer with a pure heart and He will bless each believer who maintains a pure heart. Both are a work of grace, but only one of them requires your participation. The gospel presents this you have it and you need to live it in many ways. For example, you are justified and you need to be sanctified. Both are given to you through God’s free grace. Justification requires no participation, only belief. Sanctification requires intentional participation. A good way to think about this is to see justification as the type of seed that is planted and sanctification as the gardening that is required to germinate and grow the type of plant from the seed. When the Holy Spirit birthed you as a new creature in Christ, what type of person were you created into? Now, answer this question: What type of person were you created to be? Who you are is already decided by Jesus. How you will live your life as that person is decided by you. You have been given the guarantee of the Holy Spirit to help you grow into the fruit tree that has already been planted. Participate in His gardening by receiving His Words, His guidance, and His strength. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns… For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation — the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ — for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” Philippians 1:6, 10-11 (NLT). Can you see the grace of God at work inside of your testimony? He began a good work inside of you (gave you a new spirit and a good heart) and He will continue His work inside of you (helping you to live authentically to your true identity) until Christ’s return. How will God do this? Through your understanding of His grace and truth which will result in you living a pure and blameless life that is filled with righteous fruit… the fruit of your being saved. You have been given an alive spirit that is connected to God. You have been given a good heart. Live in alignment with these two facts and garden a heart that produces the fruits of life. Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, Please give me an accurate view of who I am and what kind of heart you’ve given me. Please help me to accept your grace for my identity and participate in your grace for my holy lifestyle. In Jesus’s name amen.”  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT).
Long distance races are run with stamina and by staying hydrated. When you begin a race, you feel the difficulty and want to stop. But, as you persevere, you will find that you have the ability to finish the race. A big part of persevering is remembering why you’re running the race. Your reason for running can be a powerful reminder to have endurance and stay in the race. How do you develop stamina? There are two important ways to develop stamina, which are to grow your consistency in using the means of grace and to have the mindset of Christ. First, it is easy to have a short attention span for the means of grace, specifically for time in church, time in the word, and time in prayer. Just like an athlete has to develop muscle stamina and mental endurance, a Christian must increase in spiritual stamina and spiritual endurance. Second, you must have the mindset of Jesus Christ, who endured His race because He was looking forward to being your older Brother. Would you do anything for family? Jesus feels the same way as you do. In fact, He did the some very difficult things for His family. In preparation for the cross, Jesus was spiritually and mentally prepared to go the distance. He invested in His spiritual stamina and was ready for the ultimate trial. “That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door to watch. So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak. Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.” Mark 1:32-35 (NLT). Do you ever feel like you’re too busy or too tired to pray? Jesus was healing and casting out demons until bed time. Then, He woke up before sunrise and went out to pray. Prayer was a means by which Jesus received spiritual strength and calibrated His will to match the Father’s. Is this how you view prayer? Make time in your day to pour out your soul before the Father’s throne of grace and receive the strength and insight that you need to live in the Father’s will. “When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.” Luke 4:16 (NLT). Jesus was in the habit of going to the synagogue to read the Scriptures, teach, and use His Spiritual powers to heal and set other free. He had a weekly routine, even going to the synagogue when He was traveling. Jesus conditioned Himself to sustain His attention and be focused when He was at the synagogue. Do you find it easy to be attentive at church or is this an area for growth? Jesus Christ also was in consistent communication with the Father and knew Scriptures by heart. He had put in the time to develop an accurate understanding of God’s Word and He could apply the Word of God instantly, as He encountered situations and conversations. As a believer, you are given the same challenge that Jesus lived out. “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT). Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that You have given me a thirst for your Word and a desire to be in prayer. Please help me to prioritize church and to have more focus and more stamina. Please strengthen me and give me endurance to run the race that you’ve set before me. In Jesus’s name amen.”  “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity -- all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47 (NLT).
The lifestyle of the believers in the first-century church was one of daily opening up the floodgates of the rivers of God’s grace, by participating in prayer, the Word, and church fellowship. It made a profound effect on their lives, causing them to have great joy and good relationships in their communities. Their lives were characterized by the abundance that Jesus promised to give through His gift of life. The had received life and now they were experiencing life! Every believer has received the rebirth into life because of God’s grace flowing over his mind and soul. “…You have been born again… through the living and abiding word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23 (ESV). The Word of God is a conduit of grace when it is empowered by the Holy Spirit, resulting in life being infused into your spirit, soul and body. The result of your spirit being born again through the word of God is that you become a being who responds to God’s avenues of grace by becoming more filled with life and godly power. He begins your journey of living in His fullness by turning on the spigot of His grace and pouring His words into your spirit. To thrive in this journey, you now have the choice to fill your soul with His words, which are infused with the Holy Spirit’s power. Do you look at reading the Bible as an opportunity to be filled with more life? Prayer is another faucet of grace that you should open the valve on daily. Prayer take you directly to the source of the grace, which results in you receiving grace for your situation and to strengthen your soul and spirit. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV). Do you use prayer as a means for getting grace for your needs and situation? Do you also use prayer as a pipeline to fuel spiritual growth and maturity? Paul’s prayer for the believers in Colossae models this concept of using the grace of prayer to access the grace of growth. For our prayer today, I’m going to write Paul’s prayer in the first person, so you can pray it for yourself. Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father ‘I pray that I may be filled with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that I may walk worthy of You fully pleasing You, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of You; strengthened with all might, according to Your glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to You, Father, who has qualified me to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in the light. You have delivered me from the power of darkness and conveyed me into the kingdom of the Son of Your love, in whom I have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.’ In Jesus’s name amen” Colossians 1:9b-14 (NKJV). Take a minute to soak in the grace of those words. What will God’s grace fill you with? What will God’s grace produce in your daily life? How has God’s grace delivered you from the power of darkness? What has Jesus Christ redeemed you from? What has Jesus redeemed you to be? You cannot earn grace, but you can participate in it by living a lifestyle of drenching yourself in the waterfalls of God’s grace: His Word, prayer, and church fellowship.  “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2 (NIV).
Worship is the context within which each believer should live his life. It is easy to compartmentalize worship into an hour every week at church, but, that is not how we are designed to live. Living a life worthy of the God who called you to be a citizen of His Kingdom of Light is a life of worship. God designed you to live in a relationship of love and service, which He considers worship. It is natural to think about your life as either spiritual or physical. For example, you time at work is physical and your daily prayer time is spiritual. But, actually, everything that you do is considered a spiritual act of worship. Adjust your mindset to view all of your life as a lifestyle of worship. From your conversations to your media to your work ethics to your family relationships, you are a holy vessel set aside for His worship. The world worships lust, self, health, happiness, and invests entire lifetimes serving those pleasures. The Christian worships Yahweh and invests in serving Him. We renew our minds to shift our worship from ourselves to Him. We shift our purpose to glorify and enjoy Him forever. “And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” 1 Peter 2:5 (NLT). Each one of us is a holy priest who offers spiritual sacrifices through the mediation of our High Priest, Jesus Christ. Each of us is a living stone and together we are a living temple called His church. As a part of Christ’s body and part of His church, we are all priests who are dedicated to Him, living daily to worship Him. Your daily routines from quiet time to work to dinner and bedtime are all done in His temple and as His priest. “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.” Hebrews 13:15-16 (NLT). Every day, offer a continue sacrifice of praise to God because you are a living testimony to His character and goodness. He has changed you from the inside out, from a child of darkness into a child of light. Whether you verbally praise Him or praise Him through an action, you are to continually live in an attitude of worship. Be a person of character who reflects Jesus Christ by doing good. Be a person of compassion who unselfishly shares with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God! When you became a new creation in Christ, God combined your physical life with your spiritual life, creating for you the possibility of worshipping Him in even the mundane tasks. You have been redeemed from a futile life of worshipping the world and its spirits. You have been redeemed to worship God in spirit and in truth. “Now may the God of peace - who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood - may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21 (NLT). Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, I bring you my life as a sacrifice of praise. I am a living sacrifice, redeemed to worship you with my life. Please produce in me every good thing that is pleasing to You. In Jesus’s name amen.”  “I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:1-4 (NLT).
How can the psalmist praise God in all circumstances? How can he boast only in Yahweh? What is it about our God that makes us worship Him even when the circumstances are bad? Our God is great! His character is defined by love, holiness, goodness, and justice, to name a few of His attributes. Job was in the worst trial of his life and he knew that it didn’t change God’s worthiness for worship. “The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” Job 1:26b (NLT). Job realized that God was his creator and provider, and Job chose to trust that God was also good. Have you had a tough trial where you had to choose to trust that God is good? “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15. (NKJV). The Trinity is compassionate to the core, and God defines Himself as patient, truthful and gracious. Have you experienced God’s grace? Has He taken away the requirement of the law and given you the empowerment of grace? “And of His (Jesus’s) fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:16-17 (NKJV). God’s perfect holy character requires each human being to perfectly obey His moral laws. This is an impossibility, so Jesus Christ Himself entered the world to perfectly obey the law of God. With His life, Jesus Christ made you righteous by fulfilling your obligation to obey the law. In His death, Jesus Christ absorbed your unrighteousness and paid your eternal legal penalty. In His resurrection, Jesus Christ gave you the ability and desire to reflect God’s holy laws in your lifestyle. When you worship God for His holiness, you can also worship God for His mercy and love. The reason why you can appreciate God’s holiness and moral laws is because of the work that Jesus did for you in His life, death and resurrection. Through belief in Jesus Christ, you are changed from a hard-hearted sinner into a soft-hearted saint. Worship for God’s holiness originates from inside of your righteous spirit because you now love holiness and can see how unique and worthy God’s holiness is. At the same time, you are experientially aware of God’s grace, mercy and love because you are living without condemnation and are on a trajectory towards being holy like God. Your appreciation for God is both from the written Word and from experiencing the benefits of the Word Personified. Jesus fulfilled the law so that you can be fulfilled by living out His character. “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” Ezekiel 36:25-27 (NLT). Jesus Christ purchased you many blessings and three of them are listed in these verses. Each of the three give you ability and perspective to worship. You are a new person who desires and appreciates holiness and your heart is willing to worship. Because of Jesus Christ, you are a holy temple where the Holy Spirit lives and gives you power to worship. You have been redeemed to worship God and His character and actions deserve your worship. “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself.” Job 19:25-27a (NLT). Prayer: “Dear Yahweh, I worship You for Your majesty and infinite worth. I worship you because You have shown me your love by coming to Earth to save me from the law and save me to live a holy life in Your presence. In Jesus’s name amen.”  “Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles.” Psalm 145:3-5 (NLT).
Every human being is born to worship. It is wired into our nature to appreciate beauty, celebrate genius, and elevate exceptionalism. Worship is natural for us. Think about your nation’s culture. What do people in your culture elevate to the point of personal sacrifice? In your own life, what do you prioritize above everything else? When you are made alive in your spirit, you capacity to worship God is activated. This happens for a couple of reasons. First, your spiritual connection to God changes from dead and disconnected to alive and connected. This means that you are able to recognize God’s innate worth and it causes you to worship. Second, the barrier of injustice between you and God is removed by the justification from Jesus Christ. You are no longer an enemy of God and subject to His justice. Now, you are a friend of God and welcomed into His presence. Legally, you are forgiven and acquitted. Positionally, you are righteous and good. In your actions, you are becoming more aligned with your identity as a saint. “Who may climb the mountain of Yahweh? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.” Psalm 24:3-4 (NLT). These verses describe Jesus Christ when He was living in Israel. Jesus Christ was morally qualified to enter into God’s presence and worship. When you are converted, Jesus gives you His qualifications, so you can climb the mountain of Yahweh and stand in His holy place. He makes your heart pure, your hands clean and removes the stain of idolatry from your record. Jesus Christ redeemed you from the curse of idolatry, so you can now worship Yahweh in spirit and in truth. “Give to Yahweh, O families of the peoples, give to the Yahweh glory and strength. Give to Yahweh the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship Yahweh in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.” Psalm 96:7-9 (NKJV). There are multiple ways to worship God. Simply, worship is recognizing God’s incredible worth and expressing appreciation for that worth. You do this by praising, praying, singing, meditating and reflecting on Him, honoring His Words and listening to Him and also by obeying Him. For a Christian, many parts of the day can be worshipful. Worship is an attitude and also can be an experience. God is worth your worship, so you can worship Him by recognizing and honoring His character and attributes. “Give to Yahweh the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts.” (v.8). Worship God by bringing offerings of praise, money, time, and lifestyle choices. “Oh, worship Yahweh in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.” (v.9). We are instructed to worship God because of His beauty and holiness and respect His power, holiness and majesty. The unique thing about worshipping God is that He alone deserves the worship. Because of who He is and what He does, He qualifies to be worshipped. This can’t be said about anyone else. This is why it requires the blood of Jesus to have sanctified you and qualified you to worship Him in His holy presence. Through your identity in Christ, you have been anointed to be a worshipper and to help others worship. You are a priest and you can proclaim His praises. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV). Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, I worship You for your majesty and goodness. I worship You because You are infinite love and Your Son to be my substitute and make me holy. You called me out of darkness into Your marvelous light. Thank you! In Jesus’s name amen.”  “People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” James 3:7-10 (NLT).
A common problem for believers is to default into negative speaking, which can create a curse on the person we’re targeting with negativity. Sarcastic joking about other people and negative statements can cause internal damage in the soul of the person being cursed. From gossip to betrayal to negative statements about a person’s abilities, the tongue causes destruction. Is there any hope for a believer’s tongue? Yes, just like every other part of your body, soul and spirit, your tongue has been redeemed by Jesus. The good news is that you can root out the negativity and eradicate the unhealthy habits of speech. When you were born again spiritually, your spirit suddenly was given the ability to use every part of your body for doing what is right and for God’s glory. “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.” Romans 6:12-14 (NLT). The blood of Jesus is powerful enough to deal with your tongue. So, what’s the secret to using your tongue for godly, edifying speech? “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45 (NIV). Like a gardener, you must learn the difference between weeds and vegetables. Calibrate your mind to discern your sinful speech patterns. Do you preface compliments with a negative observation? Do you always have to give negative background information when talking about someone? Are your words harsh and bitter when you feel rejected or jealous? Learn how to recognize the weeds that you’ve been gardening and pluck them out. Instead, grow plants that bloom with godliness. Be like God in everything that you do, including your speech. “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.” Ephesians 5:1-4 (NLT). Crucify your sinful speech and the thought patterns behind that speech. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and you rose with Him. When you speak, speak from a resurrected heart, filled with thankfulness, truth and love. “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Colossians 4:6 (NKJV). Have you ever eaten an unseasoned egg? It’s unpleasant. Instead of having unpleasant speech, season your conversations with grace. In a world full of darkness, speak life. The Bible says that if you love use your tongue, that you will either reap life or death from all of those many words. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Proverbs 18:21 (ESV). When you’re gardening the fruit of your tongue, make sure to garden tasty fruit. You’ll be surprised to see how much life you can produce simply by speaking life. “Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4 (NLT). “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 (NIV). Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that every part of my physical body has been redeemed. Please give me discernment to hear my words that are not honoring to You. I am alive in Christ and I want to speak words of life. Please fill my soul with the roots of joy, hope, peace, and truth and fill my mouth with good fruits. In Jesus’s name amen.” |
