Is God’s purpose always clear to you? When it is clear, do you see it coming to fruition quickly?

God has a purpose

We as Christians talk a lot about God’s purpose and plan for our lives. We even encourage others, including unbelievers, that God has a purpose and plan for their lives. The scripture backs this up;

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of this beautifully, and so does Ephesians 2:10.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

God gradually clarifies His purpose

While God has a purpose in everything He creates, His purpose is not always clear to us! God spoke to various individuals through dreams, vision, and prophetic word. In the case of Abraham, God told him that he was going to have a child. It took 25 years before Abraham had his son Isaac. The Lord spoke to Abraham a few more times and finally just a year prior to him having a child. This last time, God was more specific. In the past, Sara tried to help God by asking Abraham to sleep with her concubine, but this time God specifically said that Sara was going to have this child.

Was having a child all of Abraham’s purpose in life? Of course not. For most people, having children is not an issue at all. They could have them in the first 5 years of marriage and go on to raise their children and venture into other things for decades to come. For Abraham, having his son Isaac wasn’t the end of the story. Having a son was the seed that through it, all the other promises that God had given him were going to be fulfilled.

God uses our attention to shape us during this time

God promised Abraham that he was going to be a great nation.  How could God make Abraham a great nation, if Abraham couldn’t even have one child? While Abraham and Sara’s purpose may have looked like it was dormant, God was still working on both of them; shaping them, and building their faith. There was a bigger test down the road! God in time will ask Abraham to sacrifice His only son!!

God’s purpose takes years to be fulfilled

As we look at the scripture, we see that God promises Isaac to increase his descendants (Genesis 26:23-25). The scripture tells us that Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebecca and he was 60 when he only had Esau and Jacob.  We also see God promises Jacob that a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from him (Genesis 35:9-15). Jacob had 12 children. In a time span of about 100-120 years, the descendants of Abraham are one son, two grandchildren, and 12 great grand children. While that makes a nice size family, it is not anywhere close to being considered a great nation!

God uniquely used various Biblical leaders, prophets, kings, and ordinary people to fulfill His purpose on the earth. We also observe that God worked in each life and each situation differently than in others.

Through the cross, God fulfilled His ultimate purpose to bring us to glory through His son Jesus. This opened the door for fellowship and intimacy with a holy God, and enabling us to fulfill God’s purpose under His leadership.

Do you have some outrageous things promised to you by God that you have no idea how God is going to fulfill them in your life? Well, you’re not alone! We will continue with this subject in the next devotional, but for now you can study a Biblical Character and see how long it took for God to truly fulfill His promise in this individual’s life. What was this person doing in the meantime?

Honesty is a critical factor

To pursue integrity, we must continuously walk in honesty. We are expected to speak truthfully; we cannot twist words to our advantage by exaggeration, drama, or concealing important information that could shed a different light into the situation. An honest person avoids even the slightest appearance of evil because they don’t want any shadow of doubt over them!

Honesty cannot be a compartment in life, neither can it be followed only when it is convenient. To be honest requires a commitment to the Lord, and it takes courage. There are going to be times that we will be tested in life; in our finances, and in our relationships, and honesty will cost us something.

Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3

The picture that this scripture paints is beautiful. Besides having our wedding rings, a necklace is another jewelry item that represents what we love or what was given to us as a gift from someone close to us. Truth should be seen as precious jewelry that we get to wear around our neck. The Lord himself is full of truth and honesty, so when we have truth around our neck we show that we belong to him and we look like Him! To write truth on the tablet of our heart means that anything that is not the truth will not have permission to enter.Truth and mercy are the gatekeeper to what comes into the heart and what comes out.

Years ago when I was single, my brother and I decided to purchase a house for our parents. We were hoping that purchasing a house in the U.S. would help them to settle down and live comfortably after having immigrated here for a couple of years. My brother was already married, so this would have been considered a second house/rental property for him, meaning a higher interest rate. I didn’t own a house at that time, so my two options were to either declare it as my primary residence or declare it as a rental property which, just like my brother, was putting us at a higher interest rate. Since the house was about 100 miles away from my home in San Jose, I knew there was no way for me to commute during the week, so calling it my primary residence was not the truth. I was encouraged by some to just call it my primary residence so that I could have a better interest rate for myself and my brother. I had a resolve to go with the higher interest rate; to be truthful and just pay the higher rate although we weren’t charging my parents any rent.

As we were getting ready to sign the escrow papers, I got laid off from my job. I was disappointed, but I knew that the Lord was going to provide for me. As a result, we went ahead with signing the papers and purchasing the property. I was laid off for a few months before I found a similar job I used to do. There were some tough moments, but looking back at those few months the Lord did not stop providing for me through a temporary job and severance pay. The great report about this house was that my brother, his wife, & I owned that house for 13 years. God’s provision was always there. Nothing broke, or required fixing and remodeling. We did not have a single argument or disagreement over this house. It was finally my father who asked us to sell it. After the loss of my mother and my father’s aging, he wanted to move into a senior community. Doing it right was worth it all the way and God blessed it!

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” Job 1:8

Job was an upright and blameless man that God knew he could trust. When his own friends were giving him so called “counsel”, they accused him of sinning & wickedness. They said a lot of things, but they couldn’t pin point what he did wrong because he hadn’t done anything wrong. On the other hand, when Nathan came to David, Nathan was direct with David’s sin and David did not deny his sin.

When someone is upright and honest, there may be accusations swirling around them. Many times,  these are gray and generic accusations. At the end of the day, nothing can stick to the person because they are upright and honest.

Honesty is about doing it right and being right with the Lord all the time. Whether someone watches us, or catches us is irrelevant. This is an important character issue!

Develop Personal Convictions

To pursue integrity, we must establish personal convictions. Our convictions will keep us steady in life!! This will result in our actions matching up with what we profess, and people will see wholeness and integrity in our lives.

A conviction is “the quality of showing that one is firmly convinced of what one believes or says”  according to Oxford dictionary.

In order to avoid hypocrisy, we must firmly be convinced of what we believe!! There should be part of us that does things unto God and out of obedience to God that no one will ever know.  We simply want to live in integrity before God and not have a need to advertise our uprightness before people!!

Sometimes if we live or work with a person who has a strong personality, people find it easier to go along with that person’s ideas/convictions rather than wrestling to find their own!  Some people don’t even know what their convictions are because then it means they have to verbalize them to someone who could overpower them. It’s easier not to go there. This is especially true for those who have a great need for man’s acceptance and don’t want to “rock the boat”.

If we are the one with strong personality, we have to be careful not to overpower people with our convictions. We can share the scripture, and pray for individuals, but there needs to be room for the Holy Spirit to do the work that He can only do!! He is the one who changes the  hearts and minds of people and has the power to transform any of us!! To try to speed up the process, we foster Christians to stay babes in Christ. They may feel pressured to conform, but they are not transformed inside out!!

To establish our own convictions, we have to ask more tough questions from God and not be so quick to have an answer for everyone. We read the Bible, pray, and ask the Lord to show us where adjustments are necessary in our beliefs and perspectives.  This requires work, and it takes longer.  Some are not willing to do the hard work for themselves; they would rather eat the prepared meal that someone else has made!!

We can see the difference between someone who is convinced about an issue versus one who is only regurgitating someone else’s conviction. Those who are a mouthpiece for someone else, their statements have no substance or weight to them although they seemingly sound good. If you press for further examination of one’s beliefs within a couple of questions, they can fall back on what they learned from their mentor. Sometimes their words are just based on a book they read or what they heard a Christian superstar speak about!!

holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. Titus 1:9

If we are going to be prepared as an end time church, we are called to have a backbone that is established on the word of God and the word of our testimony. It’s a lot of easier to just repeat someone else’s convictions and a lot harder to grow in our own, but the test of time and the test of suffering will show us how we have been building.

Second hand conviction is just a belief and will not withstand the tests that will be coming, but when we develop our own, that’s gold and silver. When tested we will come forth more pure and powerful. We inspire others believers to grow in their convictions. We can also impact those who are against the faith and help them  see the light of Truth.

Let’s pray and allow the Lord to sharpen us in this area!!

In a world of situational ethics and subjective standards, the pursuit of integrity is paramount for every believer!! God is a God of integrity, and it is His desire for His children to look like Him!

So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. Psalm 78:72

Integrity (G8537): integrity, completeness, fullness, innocence, simplicity,

The scripture tells us that God’s desire to shepherd us comes from the integrity of His heart. His intent towards us is in congruence with His actions. He has no hidden agendas. He has no ulterior motives. His heart is pure towards us. The Lord is complete in who He is; as a result He can love us without hypocrisy. He doesn’t just tolerate us or hope that we weren’t around, but He always has open arms towards us, to love and change us.

What is integrity?

Integrity (according to Oxford Dictionary): the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness, the state of being whole and undivided: the condition of being unified, unimpaired, or sound in construction:

A person of integrity is one whose words and lifestyle match up. For a Christian, it also means that our words and our actions match the standard of the Bible. As soon as we claim we are a Christian, we’re declaring we are followers of Christ’s life and teaching.

People of integrity are not afraid to take an unpopular stance. They are not concerned whose agreement they have on a certain matter, but they will stand for their convictions. Joseph out of his integrity rejected sleeping with Potiphar’s wife, and that got him into trouble, false acccusation, and the loss of his job. Nevertheless, he remained a person of integrity before God and man!! What are we willing to lose to remain people of of integrity?

To pursue integrity, we must avoid certain things and hold on to some important character qualities. I will highlight some of them in this next couple of devotionals.

Avoid Hypocrisy

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. Luke 12:1-3

 Hypocrisy:  the acting of a stage player

A hypocrite has good showman ship. He/she knows how to play the game and say all the right things to be accepted as part of a crowd or a group of people; but internally, their heart isn’t right, and they have no desire for real change!!

Hypocrites are divided in their behavior. They can be one way with one group and another way with another group, because to them how they are seen is more important than the condition of their heart! They can also act very much in agreement with a person, but gossip or complain behind their back. It is a division about how they really feel about things as opposed to how people perceive them. As a Christian, this affects the conscience of a believer, and if one is not careful we will ignore and suppress the voice of the Holy Spirit!!

A fertile ground for hypocrisy is a place where a lot of rigid rules are established and those that don’t follow them are easily condemned and judged. Sometimes those who set the rules don’t plan to follow their own rules, but they want to ensure that the behavior of others can be controlled by them.

As parents, we have to be careful to live lives that are full of integrity. Our children are watching everything, not just the things that we are intent on teaching them. If we speak about honesty yet  in  our next phone conversation we give a lame excuse to not attend a function, it shows that honesty is followed only when it’s convenient.

The good news is that we don’t have to be suspicious of people, but recognize that if an individual makes a life style of hypocrisy, sooner or later they will be found out. Their hidden activities will be exposed by God.

The Bible tells us that God delights in a person of integrity. It is His desire for us to be people of integrity and live a life that matches up with His truth and with our own words.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

Lord, if there is any area of hypocrisy in me, please show me and change me inside out!!!

Do you know any courageous people around you?

One of the faces of courage is a young lady who is one of my daughter’s best friends. This young lady was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was 14 years old. She has had many hospital visitations and stays along with her courageous mother. She has gone through being poked, pricked by needles, experiencing side effects, hair loss, and many other things that she would probably not share with most people.

In the midst of it all, I have seen this young lady with great courage, always having a smile on her face, speaking energetically, doing her school work, and desiring to face life even in the midst of all the disappointments!

She could not even visit with her friends on her sweet16^th birthday because she was sick! I’m sure this illness has touched every area of her life, challenging her schooling, activities, friendships, and so many other things that we will never know, but I applaud this young lady for who she is. I’m so glad she is in our life. She has a strong and courageous mother who has stood by her going through the process and continually believing the best in the midst of much heartache.

How do we develop courage?

Rely on Christ for strength

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Paul was determined that regardless of the circumstances of life, he could face any situation through Christ. He was confident that Christ was going to give him the strength, ability, courage, and stamina to get him through any circumstance.  Sometimes the strength comes moment by moment, or day by day. Maybe looking down the road looks overwhelming but there is grace available for today’s challenge. We depend on God’s truth that His provision will be available for the journey ahead. My Pastor says that when you are out of your natural strength, God’s super will come on your natural and will give you supernatural strength. However,  we must excercise  the strength we already have!

A righteous life before God produces confidence

In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. Proverbs 14:26

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10

When we fear God and walk closely with him, we have a strong confidence in Him.  We know He will back up His promises and His word to take care of His children. He will protect us and cover us in times of difficulty and fear. We can run to Him and are protected by Him. We can also speak boldly because we know what we speak is righteous and there is no shame to stand for truth and righteousness!

The less compromising we are in our walk with God, the more courageous we become facing the challenges before us.!! That doesn’t mean we will not struggle, but we don’t have to allow the enemy to play with our mind or emotions manipulating the situation to get us off track and derailed from God’s purpose or God’s love for us!!

Another example of great courage is a friend of mine with a daughter who has special needs. I have known them for the last five years, and their daughter is 6 years old now. The little girl is very fast, active and on the go all the time, so she requires one person to pay complete attention to her at all times and ensure she won’t hurt herself. This woman of God is very courageous, showing great hope and love for her daughter and the rest of her family. She does everything she can to keep her other children involved and active in sports and various activities, so they won’t feel that their family lacks anything because of their little sister.

For all the years I have known her, she and her husband have taken turns coming to a church service; now that we have one service, they both help support each other by watching their daughter. This woman of God does a lot of work, and she is persevering under huge pressure; having three other children who still need her, having a busy husband who has to travel for work, and sharing him with church for his ministry responsibilities within the body. She is a remarkable lady, and she is a hero in my book!!

We have many courageous men and women who are fighting various battles all around us. Let’s recognize and appreciate those who press against opposition everyday and come along side of the ones who need extra encouragement!

And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord. 1Chronicles 28:20

Courage (H553): To be strong, alert, courageous, brave, stout, bold, solid, hard

b)  to strengthen, secure (for oneself), harden (heart), make firm, assure c) to be determined, to make oneself alert, strengthen oneself, confirm oneself, persist in,

When we look at the above definition of courage, we find that to be a courageous person is a multi-faceted quality. We are called to be brave, strong, alert, persistent, firm, and bold. A courageous person does not succumb to fear. They may feel the fear, but they will keep pressing forward in the right direction.

Daniel was faced with fearful situations at various times. Each difficult situation looked different, but every one of them had the potential to get Daniel off track. In one situation,  King Nebuchadnezzar asked the wise men in Babylon to interpret his dream but the King said that he wasn’t going to tell them the dream. The wise men had to figure it out or else they would get killed (Daniel 2).

Daniel was firm and strong in his resolve. He wasn’t overcome with fear and trepidation, and he knew that God was his only deliverer from this situation. He asked the King for a little bit of time to get the answer for him. That’s already very bold and courageous!! Then he asked his other three companions to pray to God for his mercy that He would give them the dream and the interpretation. It’s interesting the scripture doesn’t say that he was in sackcloth and ashes, and  that he fasted to get the answer. There was calmness and confidence that God would give him what he needed!!

Do we believe God will give us what we need for the challenge facing us? We may cry and scream when we are faced with a seemingly impossible situation, but can we see God in the midst of it?

Our courage is not something that we can muster up to ensure that we can battle the forces against us, but it is the recognition of who God is!! King David, as powerful and as strong as he was, charged his son Solomon in the above scripture  (1 Chronicles 28:20) to be courageous and look to God. He reminded Solomon that God will not fail him nor forsake him. The Lord will see Solomon through his journey and his assignment before God!!

Why do we need to be courageous?

Living a Christian life in a world that is full of unbelief, darkness, & ungodliness requires great courage!! There are many battles to be fought. Some are fighting for their marriages, others have unruly children, and there are some who have tough illnesses and disabilities. There are others who have been single for decades, believing for a godly man or woman and are still courageously waiting. A mother whose husband has gone to war and has to raise her newborn without her husband is strong and courageous. A woman abandoned by her husband requires firmness and bravery to move on and not fall apart. The teenage boy/girl who has to continually say no to the temptation of alcohol, sex, and drugs is exercising courageous determination in the midst of great peer pressure around them. The businessman who works with integrity where he can get promoted easier and faster if he is willing to make certain compromises and go along with shady practices shows persistence and solid character in the face of temptation!!

The faces of courage are all around us. Most of us may not consider ourselves courageous, but when we look at the choices we have made in order to serve Christ, we must admit, it has taken some degree of courage to be where we are at.

I will continue with the subejct of courage in the next devlotional.

How is judging different from discerning?

Many times in the Christian circles, we use the word “judging” and “discerning” interchangeably, but when we look at the scriptures and the definition of those two words, we find very different uses for them.

To judge (G2919): to separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose

1) to approve, esteem, to prefer

2) to determine, resolve, decree

3) to be judged, i.e. summoned to trial that one’s case may be examined and judgment passed upon it

Biblically speaking to judge something,

1. Someone is in a position of authority to judge someone or a situation
2. They also have the responsibility to decree a judgment on the situation.

God used Moses in this capacity as he sat as judge over the people of Israel while he also had other representatives who judged people under him.

Solomon as King had the authority to judge over the matters of people’s lives and declare the outcome of a situation. This is why he asked for wisdom, so he can judge uprightly before a holy God.

You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. John 8:15-16

And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. John 12:47-48

When we look at the above scriptures, we see that Jesus declared that He didn’t come to judge the world, but to save it. He had the power and authority to judge the world, but His purpose in His first coming was to save the world from sin, hell, and judgment. Judgment will be passed over those who accept Him and receive Him. For those who don’t receive him, there will be judgment in the last day, and there will be no redemption left for the ones who choose to reject him.

Jesus knew Judas’ plan, but he didn’t judge him. He didn’t tell other disciples what Judas was about to do. He just chose to go through it calmly while treating Judas with love as with all the other disciples. He discerned what was about to happen, but He didn’t close His heart towards Judas and draw a judgment on Him.

Sometimes we tend to judge to protect ourselves from harm. That causes us to close our hearts toward someone. If we follow the path of Jesus, we can choose to discern a situation but refrain from drawing a judgment on it before its time. It takes faith not to close our heart and choose to stay loving and in relationship with people. We also need to trust the Lord that whatever the outcome, He will use it for good of those who love Him. Our part is to stay in the right relationship with God and with people.

To discern (G1253): a distinguishing, discerning, judging

But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:14

Judgment has to do with making a final call or decree. It is to pass a judgment or declare a verdict on something. Discernment is different. It has to do with distinguishing between right and wrong. As God’s people, we are continually faced with choices. There are all kinds of darkness, deception, false teaching, and  temptations, and we have a responsibility to be trained well enough to distinguish between good and evil.

As parents we teach discernment to our children. We want them to learn not to say, “yes”, to everything, but to recognize good choices versus bad choices, right kind of friends versus the bad company, and so on. The Lord desires for us to be discerning that way as well and not just accept and receive anything as good or holy.

Discernment makes a differentiation, and it encourages us in going on the right path. A discerning person can sound an alarm if they notice something that doesn’t look right, but their goal is not to draw a judgment or a conclusion, but to help move the situation or the person in the right direction. Discernment is redemptive and helps to move someone choose better.

As God’s people let us use the gift of discernment to distinguish between good and the evil. When we see the good, we should encourage it and help it to grow and become strong. When we see evil, we’re called to pray, maybe warn someone, but always with a heart to see the situation changed and redeemed.

If we’re a person in authority, we will be called from time to time to judge a situation. In those times, we truly want to be a righteous judge. Please see the devotionals from June 24, and 28th on “Being a Just Person”. It is important to represent the Lord as the righteous judge and declare a verdict that is fair, righteous, impartial, and that it fits the trespass.

If Jesus, the perfect one, chose not to judge the world while He was on the earth, we need to be careful in judging people or situations before its time!!

Lust operates on what’s in it for me, and puts a lot of stake on what is visible with the natural eyes. On the other hand, love operates on the basis of who God is and what He has done for us. Lust grows on the basis of our likes and preferences. Love grows on the basis on our faith in the Lord and looking at the cross.

Just as Jesus gave His life for us, so we may have life, we’re called to give of ourselves for the benefit of others. That’s the main dividing line between love and lust. Lust seeks the benefit of self, and love seeks the benefit of the kingdom and of others!!

Love holds onto relationships and perseveres through trials even when at times one may not see the benefit of staying in the relationship. Love is not possessive, but it is secure and doesn’t hold on tightly to anything or try to control people or situations.

Love builds others up even at the expense of one’s own position. Love has a great trust in God and as a result does not depend on what is visible or how one feels or thinks. Love is willing to be patient. Love is not looking for attention, or a pat on the back, but it gives generously and does not expect a repayment. Love is willing to wait and it does not have a time line associated with its giving. Love has great humility and is willing to serve and give to a wide group of people. Love does not envy, and it isn’t competitive. Love is not divisive.

That’s a tall order for many of us, but that’s how Jesus has called us to be.  In order to take on love to that degree, it will require a great resolve, consistency, and dependency on the Lord. Sometimes, we may look around and say, “I don’t see anybody doing it that well.” That may be true, but God’s will for us does not change despite of how few may be following it successfully!!

We need to pursue love with a wholehearted focus. It should bother us when we could have loved better and we didn’t. It should make us very uncomfortable when we find ourselves envying someone. Those are carnal characteristics!!

Jesus spent 3 ½ years with Peter and the rest of the disciples. They each had their own idea of who Jesus was and what His Kingdom was all about. Peter was the one who recognized Him as the Christ. However, Peter had too much carnality still in Him to be much of a benefit to the Kingdom. After denying Jesus three times, he came to true understanding of his own carnality and self-absorption.

After the Resurrection,  Jesus showed Himself to His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (John 21).  For the first time Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. Jesus could have asked that question during the 3 ½ years that he spent with Peter, but He knew that Peter excitedly and quickly would have said that he loved Jesus without understanding the strength of his own flesh, and the shallowness of his love towards Jesus. After the denial of Jesus, he wasn’t quick to answer that question anymore. Jesus asked about Peter’s unconditional love (Agape love) toward Him, Peter responded by saying he had a friendship love (phileo love) towards Jesus. Peter had finally understood his limitations and that he was incapable of the kind of love Jesus was asking!!

For those of us who have walked with God for a number of years, we are in danger of hypocrisy. The reality is that we can have a good Bible knowledge and quote scriptures well. We can declare that we love God and everyone around us, but if we are not pursuing God passionately to take lust and carnality out of our hearts, we are deceiving ourselves. We can think that if we attend church and Bible Study regularly, we must be spiritual. However, others can look at us and say in their hearts,”Your competitiveness, control, or envy doesn’t match up with your claim to love and Truth”.

We have to ask ourselves, “Do I live life differently internally than before I knew Christ?

Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Luke 11:39

The above scripture basically tells us that our actions and activities may have changed, but our internal world (things that cause us to strive, war, and envy) may have remained untouched. We are never justified to lust or envy, but we are always called to love!! Love will look differently at different times. Sometimes it can be tough, and sometimes it will be nurturing, but it will always be motivated by a desire to honor God and work towards someone else’s benefit.

Lord we pray that you would increase our capacity to love others without feeling like we will lose something if we do. Give us the courage to deny ourselves, so we can love better.

Letting go of lust is part of our sanctification process. We don’t wake up one day deciding that we won’t lust anymore. There is a gradual transition that has to happen from carnality and fleshliness to Godliness and spirituality. Paul demonstrates a great example of this.

though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:  circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ, Philippians 3:4-8

Paul had an impressive resume which gave him honor and an important position in his circle of Judaism. After finding Jesus, though, he realized how insignificant those things were. As a matter of fact, some of his past credentials were the key issues that kept him from faith in Jesus Christ. Knowing what he knew after conversion, he was willing to let go of it all for the sake of Christ. The lust of fame and power had shown their ugly faces to him, and he was so nauseated by them that he didn’t want to have anything to do with those rubbish things; he just wanted to serve Christ!!

Many of us come to Jesus in a desperate moment in our lives. For some of us, we have gone through so much difficulty in the past, that we now think that because of our dramatic turn around to God, we deserve honor, position, & recognition. For others, they’ve had honor, position, and recognition before they knew Christ, and now they feel that  people should honor them and utilize their giftedness in the body of Christ. Each group may have good reasons for what they feel, but ultimately those reasons are carnal and can cause lust in people’s hearts.

Our desires must be examined against the word of God to see if there is any lust or envy in our hearts. If our desires are God given, then we can trust God for His provision and timing. Easier said than done!! Sometimes, the desires are God given, but over time because nothing happens, a person can move in the flesh and start lusting after what God already desires to give to the person. If the desires are produced by our own flesh or by looking at what other Christians have, then we need to crucify those desires.

For example, we can be zealous for God, but if we become competitive people and try to outdo everyone else, that’s not being zealous for God anymore. It is a personal lust for selfish ambition that masquerades itself in being zealous for God. The self is still at the center and ruling the person’s actions and behaviors!!

Love operates in the opposite way of lust.  1Cornithians, chapter 13 is a great chapter on describing what love is. Love gives sacrificially. Love is willing to take losses in life just as Paul did in order to serve Christ and serve others. Love has a great stability because it is not dependent upon people’s actions or reactions. Love is genuine. It doesn’t flatter to gain access to someone. It does not depend on external stimuli to decide whether one is ok, valuable, or loved.

Oh Lord, change us to love better!! Awaken us to areas of lust and carnality in our lives and take us deeper in you!! In Jesus’ name. Amen!!

More on this subject in the next devotional!