For this is the will of God,
your sanctification; that you
should abstain from sexual immorality;
that each of you should know how to
possess his own vessel in sanctification
and honor, not in passion of lust,
like the Gentiles who do not know God;
that know one should take advantage of and
defraud his brother in this matter.
because the Lord is the avenger of all such,
as we also forewarned you and testified.
For God did not call us to uncleanness,
but in holiness.
1Thessalonians 4:3-7
When we chose God by means of the free gift of faith: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8), we have been justified, and sanctified completely and not by any means of ourselves, rather by the life, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven to present His sacrifice to pay for our sins, to meet the justice of God. God being holy has sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins and accepts the eternal intercession that cannot be removed, our sins are eternally obliterated as God sees us through the lens of the Incarnation of His Son. Yes, we are not perfect, our sanctification in this life is a continual life changing event that as we exercise our faith we become more and more devoted to Him. God is holy, He swears by His holiness and will not lie: "Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David" (Psalm 89:35). When swear we swear by something that is greater than us, but God cannot swear by anything greater than Himself, therefore He swears by Himself and will not lie. When we are alienated from God we are alienated from His holiness and do not have the life of God in us: "Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart" (Ephesians 4:18). Strip away this holiness of God, then all that has been done is to cause God to be a dead God; Nitschke (1936 – 1998) would have been correct in his assessment of God for he did not see or believe in God, especially a holy God. God is alive and well, He is present in the lives of believers as He promised, that the Holy Spirit resides in His children. "As I live," says the Lord God..." (Ezekiel 18:3; 33:11; Romans 14:11).
As we approach a day set aside in this country to recall and remember to be thankful for all that God has provided for He has kept His promise, He has given to man that which is needed for this life, and has give much more, His Incarnated Son, our propitiation for our salvation. It is good to enjoy this day, celebrate and in prayer to God, not just at dinner time, but all day be reminded in your prayers that it is God Who we have as our provider all things. Some will have much, some little, some may not even have a dinner, but they do have life, and they do have their creator, their redeemer who will sustain them everyday, not just on Thanksgiving Day. Unfortunately, many people can only think of "Black Friday" and the "deals" that await them, and without much thought of God, they plan, spend the night at doorsteps of stores just to beat others to some special supposed item(s) that will give them happiness, even so far as to make them seem special to those who may receive those items. It is good to give gifts, but not at the expense for the reason we celebrate this special day. Would we spend so much exercise, so much loss of sleep, to spend our money, sometimes very foolishly, as it is a time that stores have developed as a day of spending, when we should spend our resources on being a witness for God, our Holy God, who requires righteousness from His people? Thanksgiving Day not only celebrates the goodness of God in provision, but for a country that was built upon the laws of God, but more so it is a day to celebrate the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and the work He did for those chosen by God, for even giving to those who will not believe upon Him, food, clothing and a country to live as free men and women. Everything we have, or will have, all belongs to God. All people belong to God, and in His righteousness who has received that free gift of faith should fall down and worship Him, for He is Holy.
Behold, all souls are Mine:
The soul of the father
as well as the soul of the son
is Mine;
the soul who sins shall die....
If he has walked in My statutes
and kept My judgments
faithfully--
He is just;
he shall surely live!
says the Lord God.
Exekiel 18:4;9
Prepare to Celebrate and be Thankful
Richard L. Crumb
As we approach a day set aside in this country to recall and remember to be thankful for all that God has provided for He has kept His promise, He has given to man that which is needed for this life, and has give much more, His Incarnated Son, our propitiation for our salvation. It is good to enjoy this day, celebrate and in prayer to God, not just at dinner time, but all day be reminded in your prayers that it is God Who we have as our provider all things. Some will have much, some little, some may not even have a dinner, but they do have life, and they do have their creator, their redeemer who will sustain them everyday, not just on Thanksgiving Day. Unfortunately, many people can only think of "Black Friday" and the "deals" that await them, and without much thought of God, they plan, spend the night at doorsteps of stores just to beat others to some special supposed item(s) that will give them happiness, even so far as to make them seem special to those who may receive those items. It is good to give gifts, but not at the expense for the reason we celebrate this special day. Would we spend so much exercise, so much loss of sleep, to spend our money, sometimes very foolishly, as it is a time that stores have developed as a day of spending, when we should spend our resources on being a witness for God, our Holy God, who requires righteousness from His people? Thanksgiving Day not only celebrates the goodness of God in provision, but for a country that was built upon the laws of God, but more so it is a day to celebrate the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and the work He did for those chosen by God, for even giving to those who will not believe upon Him, food, clothing and a country to live as free men and women. Everything we have, or will have, all belongs to God. All people belong to God, and in His righteousness who has received that free gift of faith should fall down and worship Him, for He is Holy.
Behold, all souls are Mine:
The soul of the father
as well as the soul of the son
is Mine;
the soul who sins shall die....
If he has walked in My statutes
and kept My judgments
faithfully--
He is just;
he shall surely live!
says the Lord God.
Exekiel 18:4;9
Prepare to Celebrate and be Thankful
Richard L. Crumb
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