Day 196

True love between Christians 

Key Verses: 2, 3, 6, 11-12, 15, 16

Without a foundation in knowledge of God’s Word, we can’t be urged to live in line with what we know. So many Jesus-followers today don’t have a basic knowledge of God’s Word. They understand the bumper stickers, but nothing of depth. They don’t know how to read the Word in a way that they hear God’s voice speaking to them, convicting them, affirming them. Paul was confident his instruction in the Word was being applied by the readers of this letter.

One thing Paul wanted: sanctification. This is a big word which means set apart for God’s exclusive, holy use. An animal was sanctified before it was sacrifice. It was given over completely for God’s purpose. Nothing was held back.

One of the areas that sanctification was need in Paul’s day was in the area of sexual purity. We of course have the same issue today. Some things just don’t change. Paul said as believers we have the ability to control our body, to keep it pure. Those who don’t keep control face judgment. We sometimes think our modern problems are so different from the ancient ones, that we have changed so much. And yet, sexual control was a problem back then as well.

Our lives need to be the kind of lives that outsiders respect. Our words should match our deeds. We can’t afford to be word-only people. We are living examples of the power of Christ. How powerful is Christ in your life?

When Jesus returns, there will be a lot of people rising to meet Him. Jesus-followers who have died will have a body to rise in, just as we have a body and will rise. That will be a sight for those who are left behind. Millions of people rising from the ground, meeting in the sky, weightlessly rising.

Some movies has depicting something like this with “aliens” doing their evil work. I personally think that Satan has prepared the minds of unbelievers so that, in that moment, they will believe it is aliens from other planets who have done this, and not Christ. They will be deceived, as they are currently deceived. People will believe in almost anything accept the Truth. Christ will return and we will leave this planet. Paul declared it just as Jesus had declared it. Do you believe it, or is your “logic” getting in the way?