1 Peter 1:14-16, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance but, as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.”
Many Christians, including me, in the world today, need to grow in their knowledge and the doctrine of God’s Word. Before I was born anew, I did not know how to please God, and nothing I did or said could please our God. Once I became a child of my Heavenly Father, I needed to understand and learn how to conduct myself in ways that would please Him, just as when I was a child, I had to learn how to obey and please my own earthly parents. One of the problems with the Church today is that many of the members do not yet understand how to please the Father, and are still conformed to the old desires and ignorance out of which they were saved. Not that I have arrived, but I am attempting, sometimes poorly, sometimes better, to please my Heavenly Father because He has commanded me to do so.
Our Heavenly Father is a great and Holy God, His Name was so revered by the Old Testament Saints, they would not even pronounce it audibly, nor write it fully, using only the consonants to spell out the Name. The Commandments given to Moses for the Hebrews strictly stated no one should use the Name of God in an irreverent way, yet we use derivatives of His Name as expletives, allow profanities into our presence through our TV’s and radio, do not correct others when they use our God’s name in an irreverent manner, and I fear we will be held accountable. Even children from Christian homes see no harm in using the common phrase, “Oh my Gawd” in conversation, and even more prevalent in the letters OMG while texting.
God has commanded us to be holy, that is, sanctified, made pure, having no vileness or sin in our selves or actions, a perfect life dedicated to God’s glory. This can only be achieved by recognizing we are already fully covered, wrapped in the faultless, pure, white robes of Jesus’ righteousness.
We are saved from eternal death, we are fully forgiven, made perfect in Jesus the Promised One, and kept in His Hand. We should live this day and every day God allows us to have to the glory of our one and only true God that is eternally perfect in all His attributes.
An attribute is an inherent characteristic of a person or being. While we cannot describe God in a comprehensive way, we can learn about Him by examining His attributes as revealed in His Word. Below is a list of the Natural attributes of our God.
This first group is known as natural attributes
God is a Spirit---John 4:24 God is not a physical being limited to place and time as we are. He is present everywhere, and He can be worshiped anywhere, anytime. He became visible in human form in the person of Jesus Christ, but His essence is invisible.
God is changeless ---Hebrews 1:12
God is All Powerful---Genesis 17:1, Genesis 18:14, 25 Isaiah 40:27-31
God is All Knowing---Job 38:39, Romans 11:33-36, Job 37:16, Psalms 147:5
God is Everywhere----Psalms 139:7-12 Genesis 18:25
God is Eternal---2 Peter 3:8, Revelation 1:8
This second group is known as moral attributes
God is Holy----Isaiah 6:1-3, Ephesians 4:24
God is Righteous---Gen. 18:25, Deuteronomy 32:4, Romans 2:6-16 Romans 3;24-26
God is Truth---John 14:6
God is Wisdom---1Tim.1:17, 1Kings 3:8,9, James 1:5
God is the Source of Power in our Lives—John 15:5,6 Exodus 33:112-17
God is Love---Genesis 1:31, Psalms 145:9, Mark 10:18
Knowing who our God is, helps develop our faith in Him allowing us to stand up for Jesus, as a soldier of the Cross.
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11 years ago
3 comments:
Just yesterday Lake came home saying that one of his friends (whose family goes to a very strict church - you know the one of which I speak) keeps 'taking the Lords name in vain' (Lakes words).. Lake says when he told him he shouldnt do it, the kid said there was nothing wrong with saying OMG. Even my 7 yr old knows its wrong to say, but it is so accepted few people even think anything about it anymore.
I'm just lately starting to realize how to please God by my behavior.
The one thing we all first have to realize is that WE are here to serve HIM. Once we get this right, only then can we start to understand how we can please Him.
So many of us, myself included, have used God as just a provider. He, first of all, commands respect and obedience.
In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus commands two major things from His people. 1. Love the Lord God with all you heart, soul and mind,(strength) and 2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Now that represents complete love and Christ says that He commands it. In the second command, He's not telling us to love ourselves, but He is saying, according to Macarther Study Bible, that we should measure our love for others by what we wish for ourselves. That's a pretty good assessment. Therefore, we all have some learning in the love area to do. If we loved God with ALL our heart,soul, mind (that's all there is of us) then when someone spoke out against our God we could not be still. Think about someone saying something about one of your children. How do you respond to that? I know how I would respond. I would take offense and speak out for my children. Next question for me. Why don't I do that for my Savior?
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