The Fear of the Lord...

16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

"I will dwell in them

And walk among them.

I will be their God,

And they shall be My people."

17 Therefore

"Come out from among them

And be separate, says the Lord.

Do not touch what is unclean,

And I will receive you."

18 "I will be a Father to you,

And you shall be My sons and daughters,

Says the LORD Almighty."—2 Corinthians 6:16-18

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.—2 Corinthians 7:1

God’s precious promises to us, His beloved children, are powerful reasons for us to follow hard after Him.  Part of following hard after Him is pursuing holiness.  I have to confess here that holiness is very difficult for me to picture especially given my Catholic upbringing.  It just seems somewhat otherworldly and unattainable here on earth.  I think, however, that that is the right feeling because it IS otherworldly and unattainable here in this fallen world.  As believers, we now have the power through the Spirit NOT to sin. None of us, however, will obtain sinlessness this side of heaven. However, by God’s grace we will hopefully sin LESS...

Do I make holiness a goal, though?  For me the short answer is no.  The longer answer is definitely not in the way that I should. A verse from Hebrews always comes to mind here...

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. Hebrews 12:3-4

I definitely have not resisted to bloodshed striving against sin.  I think I trust a little too much in the verse that says where sin abounds, grace abounds much more.  That verse should not make me be lax about my sin...that is definitely not what it is saying. Instead, it should increase my desire not to sin out of thanksgiving toward God and what He has done.  I think my problem in a nutshell is that my view of God is a little skewed. My reverential fear has been lessened by my familiarity with Him. For example, when I am in the company of those with whom I am familiar and whom I trust, I can become lax and careless with my words. I complain about my aches and pains, I speak what I am thinking or I say things that are better off left unsaid. My words can also be sharp and impatient reflecting whatever emotion might be the abundance of my heart in that moment.  I forget that I live in the Presence of my God who sees all. I forget that the living God lives in me! 

Father...Give me a constant awareness of Your Presence.  Remind me of who I am and who You ARE.  Bring my sinful heart that is often filled with me, myself and I to the foot of the cross.  My sin cost the death of Your precious Son.  Forgive me!  Make holiness...daily, hourly, moment by moment something I long for.  Pour out Your Spirit and enable my “conversation” in this world to be acceptable in Your sight.  May my heart say along with Job’s:

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,

But now my eye sees You.

Therefore I abhor myself,

And repent in dust and ashes."—Job 42:5-6

9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors?

Cleanse me from secret faults.

13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;

Let them not have dominion over me.

Then I shall be blameless,

And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.—Psalm 19:9-14

Our Labor is NOT in Vain in the Lord!

Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher.

"Vanity of vanities! All [that is done without God's guidance] is vanity [futile, meaningless—a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes, merely chasing the wind]."—Ecclesiastes 1:2

4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,

5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger;

6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;

7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;

8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;

9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed;

10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:4-10; ESV)

The readings in Ecclesiastes and in 2 Corinthians this morning could cause much discouragement.  Upon examination though they are cause for rejoicing. God has put eternity in our hearts.   Life in this fallen world is not meant to be comfortable or enjoyable. It is meant to bring us to the One who gives all of it meaning...to the One who freely gave His life to save us from the bondage of sin and death. We can praise God when things are hard and pray they cause our hearts to cling more to Jesus.  In Christ nothing is in vain and nothing is lost.  All that comes our way goes through the hand of our God who is for us and gives all that we face purpose and meaning both temporally and eternally.  

Knowing Jesus enabled Paul and enables me to endure hardships and trials.  Instead of allowing people and circumstances to control me, I can trust God by taking hold of His promises.   I can see my difficulties as opportunities to reflect what my heart believes, and demonstrate my faith to a lost and dying world that needs Jesus. I can make my Valley of Baca here a spring by surrendering all things that come my way to God and allowing His purposes to reign.  

Beloved, tried faith is precious faith. (1 Peter 1:7).  Our circumstances do not have to define us.   By His Spirit, then, may they refine us.  May they draw us nearer to God, who is our refuge and our strength...our very present help in times of trouble.  Be still (literally hands-off) and know that He is God.  He will be exalted in the nations...He will be exalted in the earth AND He will be exalted in our hearts and in our lives as well. 

But, beloved, even though we speak to you in this way, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and of things that accompany salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown for His name in ministering to [the needs of] the saints (God's people), as you do. 11 And we desire for each one of you to show the same diligence [all the way through] so as to realize and enjoy the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you will not be [spiritually] sluggish, but [will instead be] imitators of those who through faith [lean on God with absolute trust and confidence in Him and in His power] and by patient endurance [even when suffering] are [now] inheriting the promises.—Hebrews 6:9-12 AMP

Living For Christ...

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 

and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.—2 Corinthians 5:14-17

All that Paul and his companions did they did to bring glory and honor to their God.  Christ’s love motivated and controlled them.  According to the Life Application Bible the word “compels” means to “hold fast.”  Christ’s love held them fast to their course of action.  Read the words of Philippians 2:4-8

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Beloved, Jesus died so each one of us could have life. Because He did this, we are to no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died for us and rose again. We are to become dead to our old self.   Like Christ, like Paul, we are to no longer live to please ourselves but to please our God. The Holy Spirit has given us a new life.  We have been re-created...we are new creations...we have a new life and a new Master.

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.—Colossians 2:6-7

Psalm 45 (Today’s OYB Psalm) speaks to this. The heart of the psalmist here is overflowing with a good theme.  He recites his composition concerning the King and speaks in verses 1-9  of the glorious beauty and majesty of Jesus, the Son of God. 

1 My heart is overflowing with a good theme;

I recite my composition concerning the King;

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2 You are fairer than the sons of men;

Grace is poured upon Your lips;

Therefore God has blessed You forever.

3 Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One,

With Your glory and Your majesty.

4 And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness;

And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.

5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies;

The peoples fall under You.

6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;

A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;

Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You

With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.

8 All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia,

Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.

9 Kings' daughters are among Your honorable women;

At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

Verses 10-11 of Psalm 45 spoke to my own heart today because they complemented and expounded on the passage above from 2 Corinthians 5.  Here the Psalmist speaks to us, His royal Bride. 

Listen, O daughter,

Consider and incline your ear;

Forget your own people also, and your father's house;

So the King will greatly desire your beauty;

Because He is your Lord, worship Him.

When we give up our lives to Jesus, we are, relatively speaking, to hate all that might once have been dear to us.  We are to love Christ more than we love anything or anyone else and this love is to be reflected in our actions. His desires become our desires.  We want what He wants.  Our beauty will be manifested in our single-minded, undivided heart of love for Him.  Beloved, adorn yourselves with the beauty of holiness.  

For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.  (Isaiah 54:5, ESV)

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!  (Psalms 95:6, ESV)

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.—Philippians 2:9-11

1 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!

Sing to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name;

Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.

3 Declare His glory among the nations,

His wonders among all peoples.

4 For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;

He is to be feared above all gods.

5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,

But the LORD made the heavens.

6 Honor and majesty are before Him;

Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

7 Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples,

Give to the LORD glory and strength.

8 Give to the LORD the glory due His name;

Bring an offering, and come into His courts.

9 Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!

Tremble before Him, all the earth.—Psalm 96:1-9

Seeing the Invisible....

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.—2 Corinthians 4:16-18

The older I get the harder it becomes to ignore all my sufferings, because they are my constant companions and become more diversified and numerous as time marches on.  Age also increases the likelihood that we have become intimately acquainted with not only physical trials, but also with difficult emotional ones as well.  It is HARD in our flesh NOT to lose heart!  

Day in and day out, here in our bodies, we ARE growing old.  But as our outward man perishes, our spirit - our inward man - is being renewed and transformed daily into His likeness.  Paul calls our time here in our bodies short, light and temporary affliction which cannot be compared with the weight of what is to come.  Beloved, our earthly eyes oftentimes see life here on earth as tedious, long, grievous and heavy.  It is only by faith that we can see and judge them as Paul does...as lightness itself and but for a moment because the glory that is to be revealed is weighty and lasting.  

Paul did not fear this heavy, long and often grievous life, nor did he fear death. His faith gave him the victory over fear...He focused on the eternal rather than the temporal.  Like Paul, we know that Jesus’ resurrection is an assurance of our own. Death for believers means that we are now absent from our body and present with the Lord.  Knowing this brings us comfort in our time of trial and keeps us from fear.  We can say with David:

I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;

My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the LORD always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will rest in hope.

10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

11 You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.—Psalm 16:7-11

Beloved, we walk by faith and not by sight.  Choose to look at the heavenly, and not the earthly.  Abide and allow God’s eternal truth to wash over you every morning.  Look to Jesus in whom consolations abound.  

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?—1 John 5:4

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.—Hebrews 12: 1-2

2 Corinthians 4:1-12...

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.—2 Corinthians 4:1

As I read 2 Corinthians 4:1-12, I found much encouragement from Paul to tuck away in my heart.  Verse 1 reminded me that the One who saved me and entrusted me with those works that He prepared beforehand (Ephes 2:10) would not allow me to fail. I am not to lose heart or quit.   It is God who works in me both to do and to will for His good pleasure.  He who called me is faithful.  I can trust Him to see me through.  

But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.—2 Corinthians 4:2-4

As a Christian I am to put off deceit and walk as it says in Psalm 119, undefiled in the way.  I am to live transparently and walk in the truth of God’s word as it is revealed in the Scriptures. My word and deed are to match. As Paul said in Chapter 3 our lives should read like an epistle of Christ written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God on the tablets of our hearts.  

For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.—2 Corinthians 4:5-6

I really liked this one...probably the most difficult one.  I don’t know about you, but sadly my heart’s first reaction to life in this fallen world is to make me the center. I want to make everything about me. In truth, nothing is ever about me...even the stuff that really seems to be about me.  It is about Him.  I died and my life is now hidden with Christ in God. I am His bondservant.  The Judaizers in Paul’s time were all about glorying in themselves and in their achievements.  Christ for them was only the means to an end.  For Paul to live was Christ and to die was gain.  

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.—2 Corinthians 4:7-12

In effect, I am a clay pot...an earthen vessel...without value in and of myself.  The treasure that is within me...the very Spirit that is from God...is what gives me value.  A clay vessel is weak...it cracks easily.  Not a problem for God.  When our pot is cracked and weakened, His light shines from within our vessels brighter.  His strength in fact, is made perfect in our weakness. 

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.—2 Corinthians 12:9-10

It is very difficult for me to take pleasure in my weakness.  Being weak makes me feel scared, out of control and very vulnerable.  Trusting God then in my weakness is hard. Here is the wonderful thing about God, though.  He makes it pretty hard not to trust Him because really what choice do we have?  We ARE weak!  The older I get the clearer this becomes.  Beloved, don’t fight against God. As the clay is in the hand of the potter, so are we in the hand of our God. Trust Him.  He is good and does good.

Blessed is the man, who puts his trust in Him!   

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

And whose hope is the LORD.

8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit.—Jeremiah 17:7-8

The Spirit Gives Life...

Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? 2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.—2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Warren Wiersbe says that the Corinthian believers were lovingly written on Paul’s heart, and the Spirit of God had written the truth on their hearts, making them “an epistle of Christ.”

Who in your own life have you labored among whose lives now reflect the law of Christ written on their hearts?  For me, the answer is my children.  Truly, as the apostle John says, there is no greater joy than to see your children walk in truth.  When I receive compliments in this regard, my first response is joy...my second response is discomfort.  Even the intimation that I had anything to do with their “goodness” or their salvation makes me cringe.  I KNOW with absolute heart knowledge that it was ALL of God.  Anything good...any fruit in my life is by Jesus Christ.  He did the work.  All glory belongs to Him and Him alone.  The justified live by faith...wholly and utterly dependent on the power of His Spirit in their hearts and in their lives.  My sufficiency is from Him.  Without Him, I am helpless and hopeless and can truly do nothing good.  

On Shining As Lights...

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.—2 Corinthians 3:18

Under the old covenant, only Moses was permitted to ascend the mountain and have communion with God. Under the new covenant all who believe can have fellowship with Him. We can now come boldly to His throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. No mountain climbing needed.  As it says in Romans 10:

the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, "'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

And in Hebrews....

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.—Hebrews 10:19-23

When Moses came down from Mt Sinai, he did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been speaking with God.  Moses “reflected” the glory of God, but the light of His unfading glory can shine through us, because His Spirit dwells in us!  We are His light-bearers!  He shines in our hearts to give those around us the light of the knowledge of God!   Beloved, gaze deeply into the mirror of His word, allowing the Spirit of God to transform you moment by moment into His image.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.—Matthew 5:14-16

Thirsting for God...

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?—Psalm 42:2a

I love this verse...the psalmist soul...all that he was, thirsted for the living God!  When I am in the midst of trial and trouble, it is so good for me to remember that those who have gone before me have faced similar circumstances.  I am thankful that both their steps and their missteps are memorialized here in the Bible for me to study, learn from and follow.  Spurgeon speaks to this the best...

“The footsteps of the flock that has gone before should make the sheep feel that it is not lost.”

Beloved, abide in Your God.  Delight Yourself in Him!  Trust in Him, do good and feed on His faithfulness.  In times of distress, call out to Him!  Seek Him early...spread out your hands to Him and feel the longing for Him that He Himself has placed in Your heart.  His mercy is in the heavens and His faithfulness reaches to the clouds.  His lovingkindness is precious. Place yourself in His care.  Tuck yourself under the shadow of His wings and put your trust in Him. He satisfies the longing soul with the fullness of His house.  He gives them drink from the rivers of His pleasures.  With Him is the fountain of life...in His light we see light.  Allow Him to order your steps. He will make Your way straight before you. His Presence also will go with you and give you rest.  

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."—Matthew 11:28-30

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."—John 7:37-38

My God of All Comfort...

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation. 8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, 11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.—2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Ps 40:11. Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD;

Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

Today, I will rejoice and worship my God of mercies and all comfort with Paul!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 

Read the words of 2 Corinthians 1:3-11. Say them over and over...meditate on them and memorize them. Make them part of the fabric of Your heart!

In the multitude of my anxieties within, Father, Your comforts are the delight of my soul.  When innumerable evils and griefs encompass my heart, may I remember that You, the God of innumerable mercies, is mine. When my sins and my troubles seem to go over my head, Eternal Love holds me. My God has got me and He won’t let go.  His mercies hold me up, keep my feet from falling and my heart from failing. Today, I will call out to Him continually who raises the dead and delivers those that are His from evil.  

I need Your mercy now as much as when I cried out for it the very first time.  Even when I have done my very best, I cannot boast.  I was a dead man walking when You heard my cry and brought me up out the pit.  You set my feet on a rock and established my steps. Oh, let not the foot of pride come against me!

Lord...Have mercy on me, for I am weak!  May Your lovingkindness and truth preserve me today and keep me from trouble. I thank You, for Your Son Jesus, who delighted to do Your will and took all my sins upon Himself. You have given me His righteousness and made me acceptable before You.  

Oh Father...Your thoughts toward me cannot be recounted in order. They are more than can be numbered!  

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;

Let such as love Your salvation say continually,

"The LORD be magnified!"

But I am poor and needy;

Yet the LORD thinks upon me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

Do not delay, O my God.—Psalm 40:16-17

Maranatha!!

O Lord, come!—1 Corinthians 16:22b

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love.—1 Corinthians 16:13-14

O Lord, come!  These are the words Paul wrote at the end of his First letter to the Corinthians. David Guzik says that “Maranatha” is Aramaic for O Lord, come, and was one of the earliest words of the Christian vocabulary.  Paul looked and longed for the return of Christ. I find myself doing this more and more of late. That is a good thing. It reminds me that I am a sojourner here...this world is not my home.  It helps me also to do what Paul says in verse 13 and 14 of this same chapter:

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.

The return of Jesus is imminent.  It could happen at any time.  Watch for it...stand fast in the faith...be brave and be strong or “quit ye like men” as the KJV says. Align all that you do with the priority of love.  Beloved, turn your eyes to the cross of Christ here for your example.  Here he showed us His heart of steel (He quit like a man...He was brave and strong) but also his heart of love by submitting Himself to His Father’s will to the point of death.  

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.—Ephesians 2:4-7

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.—John 3:16-17

Jesus endured well and loved us to the very end.  His underlying motive...love. Jesus trusted God to see Him through His earthly life. He committed Himself completely and utterly to Him and we should do likewise. By His Spirit in us, the love and the strength of Jesus (quit ye like men!) are also ours.  May we live them both out in the world, but even so, Lord Jesus come quickly!  

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.—Hebrews 12:1-4