Good morning. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. First of all it is in the imperative tense. That means it is not a suggestion – it is a command. Secondly, we have to pursue peace and sanctification. They don't just happen without effort (legally sanctification does, but experientially it does not). In today's world, it takes a lot of effort to have peace with others. They don't want peace. It's like Israel with some of the groups they have conflicts with. The groups don't really want to have peace with Israel. No matter what Israel might do, they would still want the destruction of Israel. Do you want to see the Lord – pursue sanctification. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. A root of bitterness can be very hard to get rid of. It's like some plants that you would like to get rid of. If you just chop them off at the top and don't dig them up by the roots, they will come back over and over again. You may think you have the root, but then something happens and bitterness springs up again. As long as there is no provocation, the root of bitterness remains hidden. But then… it takes more than Roundup to get rid of that root of bitterness. Father thank You that the reader constantly pursues peace and sanctification. He/she makes sure that others do not come short of the grace of God.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me

  Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
Read more
  Good morning. So Peter just told them that basically they were responsible for the death of Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brethren, what shall we do? Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we will see much later, it seems that at this point in time they believed that you could not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit without first being baptized in water. It appears that that idea did not change until chapter 10 after God baptized Cornelius and his family in the Holy Spirit before they were water baptized. Now lest someone think that this was just for the people in the first century Peter then says, for the promise (of the Father - baptism in the Holy Spirit) is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. That means us! And...
Read more

And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it

  Good morning. I pray that everything is all right with your family. And as he heard these words,  Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it – ya think? Based on Peter’s words to the wife later, I don’t think Peter was expecting this to happen. If that happened today, a lot of congregations would be shrinking 😳 . The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him. Notice that there was no ceremony, and no one gave a eulogy. I don’t know if that was the custom or if it was because of the way he died – probably the custom. They needed to bury people right away because there was no embalming. Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. What, no one cellphoned her 🙃 ? Notice that it took three hours. Whether that is because it was a long way off, or it took a long time to dig a grave we don’t know. Responding to her, Peter said, tell me whet...
Read more