“WHAT SORT OUGHT YOU TO BE…”

 The future looks uncertain in this year, 2020.  Imagine this amazing statement by the Apostle Peter about the future, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. And the earth and the works in it will be burned up. … what sort ought you to be in holy behavior and godliness?” from 2 Peter 3.

When does this happen?  What sort of people are we to be then? How do we focus?  The events in our world are happening quickly.  But we can be found in peace: it will take focus on Jesus!

 

“Fear not” is the immediate word (and it has always been) to you as a believer in Jesus. “Do not fear; for I am with you; be not dismayed; for I am your God.  I will make you strong; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41

 

What sort ought we to be?  Here is our sort:

 

Matthew 5

And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying, 

Blessed are the poor in spirit! For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. 

Blessed are they that mourn! For they shall be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek! For they shall inherit the earth. 

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness! For they shall be filled. 

Blessed are the merciful! For they shall obtain mercy. 

Blessed are the pure in heart! For they shall see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers! For they shall be called the sons of God. 

Blessed are they who have been persecuted for righteousness sake! For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. 

Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward in Heaven is great. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

Focus on Jesus and Scripture and believe Him and live it.  Then the Holy Spirit will lead you and give you courage. Jesus said, ”When He the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you to all truth,” Aha! Truth. The truth in the Bible is dependable as God himself.

FORGET THE PAST, LOOK AHEAD

Red faced, embarrassed, I am tempted to look back and dwell on regrets that are hard to let go of.  Sometimes I just feel sad, wishing I had done differently. But I should quit that.. Once I agree with the Lord that I have sinned.  I am given permission to look ahead; "...forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before...". Look for the Light, "... this is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all."  Philippians 3:13.; I John 1:5.

 If the failures, if the hurts and indignities laid on me by others (or even brought on all by myself) loom like a gathering storm, look forward. God is there. “A new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shines.” (I John 2:8). God will be in your future if you ask Him:  immediately, as soon as you repent and believe Him.

 Change your mind.  When a memory or fear threatens your peace, (they may come unbidden over and over), here is a powerful truth to put in its place. “I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His Name’s sake.” 1 Jn 2:12

 This habit will change your state of mind: memorize and have ready to say to yourself, “Submit yourself therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”  Peace will come to you. I have done this over and over. James 4:7,8.

 The Word of God is “alive and active” for every believer. (Hebrews 4:12)

ALL OF US ARE "ONE BLOOD" ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE

We are inundated with the idea that there are different races surrounding the globe. And the different skin colors indicate them. The going misinformation is that these people are innately different from each other.

The Bible, as it does, informs us.  “And He has made all nations of men of one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth…” Acts 17:26,27.

All people are “one blood” with no race identifiable.  “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” Give a dying person a blood transfusion of the same blood type and the person has hope.  Donated blood never “looks” at skin color: it gives the dying person life. Leviticus 17:11.

God gave us, His highest creation, mankind, “one blood”.  We are not “races” of people with greater or lesser value.  Every person ever born comes from Adam and Eve and is created in the image of God.  Every doctrine in the Bible that gives us hope and comfort and the gift of God which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD, is for every person ever created:  all having the same intrinsic value: created in the image of God.

Even in the Law of Moses when the laws for servants were instituted, the differences in the lives and abilities of people were confronted.  A man who loses everything had hope. “And if your brother has become poor, and his hand has failed with you, then you shall help him; yes, even if he is a stranger or a tenant, so that he may live with you.” Leviticus 25:35.

The cure for America is the same as it has always been. “For all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Galatians 5:14.