2 Corinthians 7:1
"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
Since we have these promises... . I love Paul's reminder of the order of things. It isn't that we work hard to rid ourselves of every contaminate within and without and THEN we receive God's promises. It is that BECAUSE we have God's promises, that He has given to us first, freely, and in Love and sacrifice....we Want to be free of contamination from the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Is this your experience? Do you know God's promises to you as His son or daughter? Specifically for Paul in this narrative is from verse 16: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." This promise fulfills all the other promises which are noted and recorded through the Old and New Testament. Emmanuel, God (is) with us. God is with you.
God is so Faithful and True that He not only Has initiated a life changing, eternal, and close relationship with us (how much closer can a relationship be than to have the One with whom you are in relationship with, live INSIDE of you???), He has not only recorded Who He is and His promises to us in a book called "The Bible" but He also allows us to experience Him, Who He is, our relationship with Him, and His promises to us.
We experience Him through the Holy Spirit, through relationships with the body of Christ, and through others around us. Sometimes one of the biggest issues is that we don't connect the experience of God and His promises in our lives, because we don't know the character of God or His promises. This is one reason why reading and meditating on God's Word in the Bible is so important. This spiritual discipline/practice helps us to know God, what to expect from God, and how God relates to us.
Check out these Scripture promises: Deuteronomy 31:6 - God is a;ways with you; Romans 8:28 - God is always working 'all things working for your good" plan; Psalm 27:13 - God is always Good; 1 Corinthians 10:13 - God is always faithful; Isaiah 54:15-17 - God is always victorious (paraphrased from message by James McDonald on 'The Promises of God').
"Lord thank You for You and for Your promises toward me/us. Thank You that it is because of Your Great Love that I am/we are not consumed; that we can call on You to enable us to be 'contamination free'...and we want to because of Who You are! We need You Jesus...we could not endure the world, flesh, and devil if it were not for YOU - thank You for being Emmanuel, God with us!"
"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
Since we have these promises... . I love Paul's reminder of the order of things. It isn't that we work hard to rid ourselves of every contaminate within and without and THEN we receive God's promises. It is that BECAUSE we have God's promises, that He has given to us first, freely, and in Love and sacrifice....we Want to be free of contamination from the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Is this your experience? Do you know God's promises to you as His son or daughter? Specifically for Paul in this narrative is from verse 16: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." This promise fulfills all the other promises which are noted and recorded through the Old and New Testament. Emmanuel, God (is) with us. God is with you.
God is so Faithful and True that He not only Has initiated a life changing, eternal, and close relationship with us (how much closer can a relationship be than to have the One with whom you are in relationship with, live INSIDE of you???), He has not only recorded Who He is and His promises to us in a book called "The Bible" but He also allows us to experience Him, Who He is, our relationship with Him, and His promises to us.
We experience Him through the Holy Spirit, through relationships with the body of Christ, and through others around us. Sometimes one of the biggest issues is that we don't connect the experience of God and His promises in our lives, because we don't know the character of God or His promises. This is one reason why reading and meditating on God's Word in the Bible is so important. This spiritual discipline/practice helps us to know God, what to expect from God, and how God relates to us.
Check out these Scripture promises: Deuteronomy 31:6 - God is a;ways with you; Romans 8:28 - God is always working 'all things working for your good" plan; Psalm 27:13 - God is always Good; 1 Corinthians 10:13 - God is always faithful; Isaiah 54:15-17 - God is always victorious (paraphrased from message by James McDonald on 'The Promises of God').
"Lord thank You for You and for Your promises toward me/us. Thank You that it is because of Your Great Love that I am/we are not consumed; that we can call on You to enable us to be 'contamination free'...and we want to because of Who You are! We need You Jesus...we could not endure the world, flesh, and devil if it were not for YOU - thank You for being Emmanuel, God with us!"
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