“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.”

There are five great principles that Paul was praying for His flock to receive in these three short verses:

1. That your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment. This is a prayer that as you get to know the Lord and understand His will for your life, that your love for Him will grow and fill you to overflowing.
2. That you may approve the things that are excellent. As you grow in your faith and love for the Lord, He will give you wisdom to make right decisions and help you know how to please Him in everything you do.
3. That you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. In Spanish, the word sincere means “without wax”. When a pottery vessel was fired in a kiln and a crack or flaw appeared, the crevice could be filled with wax and then painted to make it appear perfect. But a vessel that was flawless after going through the fire was much more valuable. It was marked as a “sincere” vessel–one with no wax-filled imperfections. The Lord is working to make each of us perfect and without blemish. Sometimes we have to go through fiery trials to temper our resolve, but when He is finished with us, we will be the most valuable vessels of honor, fit for His most noble purposes.
4. That you may be filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ. As the Holy Spirit works in you to make you perfect, He will develop fruits in your life that will exhibit your righteousness to the world. These include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22) This prayer is that you will be filled with all the best fruits that delight your and God’s heart.
5. To the glory and praise of God. Finally, as the Lord develops love and wisdom and perfection and fruits of righteousness in your heart, your entire life will become a praise to God. He will receive the proper glory not only from you, but from those whom your life and light touch as well.

“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men…Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” (1 Peter 2:15-17)

Be a light! Live for the Lord! Laugh for joy! Love well! For you are loved by God.

The post The Prayer of Your Life appeared first on Rock of Revelation.

The Bible, too, is filled with word pictures that tell beautiful stories. The phrases can be inspiring from a first glance, but upon deeper inspection a much more meaningful idea comes to light. One such beautiful picture is portrayed in Psalm 85:10-13,

“Mercy and truth have met together,

Righteousness and peace have kissed.

Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

Yes, the LORD will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.”

This psalm is a portrait of salvation. The Lord God and His Son, Yeshua, met together. They planned a way of salvation for the people they love and created in Their image from even before the foundation of the world. According to plan, Yeshua emptied Himself of His glory and poured Himself out as an atonement for our sins. The righteous Lord God looked down from Heaven and declared, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) Yeshua Himself declared, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) And when the Truth sprang out of the earth on Resurrection Day, He made a way for us to follow Him to everlasting life.

The Lord did all of this for YOU! He loves you and has good plans for you. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights…”(James 1:17) He wants you to be with Him in Heaven, so He goes before you as an example. He has walked where you are walking right now. He has born the same burdens and resisted the same temptations that you are facing. He understands what you are going through. And He has left His footprints as signs to light your pathway so you will not get lost along the way.

Don’t feel discouraged. Though you might feel distant or distracted or lonely in spirit, you are NOT alone. Call out to the Lord for help. Look around you for His footprints. He will make your way clear; His Word will light your path.

May we walk in His footsteps every day, and may we be kissed by His righteousness and peace all along our way.

The post A Picture Worth More than 1,000 Words appeared first on Rock of Revelation.

How did Noah manage to live a godly life in the midst of a world that was completely corrupt? What made him different? How did he resist being corrupted by all the evil influences that were all around him? I found the singular cause of Noah’s integrity in Genesis 6:22.

“Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.”

Joshua, too, was successful in all his pursuits against the corrupt peoples who dwelt in the Promised Land because of this same singular cause found in Joshua 11:15.

“As the LORD had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.”

Matthew 24:37 says, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be…” Our world is becoming increasingly corrupt. People are raging with no sense of conscience. How can we live godly lives in the midst of this godless generation? The same singular factor will work for us as well. It is a simple, conscious choice that will determine our complete success or utter failure. We must simply listen to what the Lord commands us and then do it.  We can not compromise our standards of obedience and commitment to the Lord and His Word.

What is the Lord saying to you today? What task has He given you to do? Your obedience to the Lord not only pleases Him but is also a testimony of righteousness in a dark and corrupt generation we live in. Keep up your good work today and every day!

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