A Heart at Peace

Karleigh King April 23, 2025

“A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot”
~Proverbs 14:30

A Christian brother-friend of mine from years ago often said, “What we all just want is peace.” He was talking about a tranquil heart, for I know of no one who deeply desires to be disturbed. Yet it seems so common.

The root of the Hebrew word translated tranquil is healing.The same root is used, for example, in Isaiah 53:5, “by His wounds we are healed” – the healing (peace-making) power of divine grace. It is also used in Proverbs 4, “Be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings…they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh” (vv.20-22) – the healing properties of divine truth and wisdom. This root word for tranquil is also translated with the words like gentleness, “A gentle tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4), and calmness, “Calmness will lay great offenses to rest” (Ecclesiastes 10:4).

A tranquil heart is highly prized. As the seat of desire, ambition, and emotion, it is the place where we can become preoccupied and restless when troubled by frustrated expectations. The word envy is probably best translated passion. A heart not at rest is one that is on high alert to acquire or protect what we think is important to us. We worry for what we expect life should be; we are jealous because someone else is enjoying what we require for our own happiness; we are bitter because someone robbed us of what we deserve; we are discontented when we focus on what we do not have. These troubling things provoke passions of the heart, and that rots the bones. It is dis-ease at the core of one’s life – disordered love (1 John 2:15), and desires at war within us (James 4:1).

I recommend three questions to ask ourselves in our daily self-talk that – when informed by God’s self-disclosure through His Spirit – can move our hearts toward the tranquility that our Father designed and desires for us – the peace of Christ ruling our hearts (Colossians 3:15).

What do I have?
It is the adversary of my soul who compels me to forget whatI do have and focus on what I don’t (and think I should). In Christ I am fully loved and accepted. Having been lavished with the riches of His grace, I have a guaranteed hope and an unfading inheritance. Meanwhile, under the sun, every good gift that comes my way is from the Father because He is good and gives me things to enjoy. But I lose that joy when I allow things (or matters) to define or control me.

What has been entrusted to me?
The only thing that I truly possess is that which cannot be taken away from me – namely, my life in Christ. Everything else is a trust. Time, relationships, material wealth, intellect, pleasures, skills, and adversities are all temporal stewardships – I do not own them and they do not define me. I am, however, called to engage them according to the will (in line with the character and purpose) of the One who does own them and entrusted them to me for a limited time. Ultimately, they are means of knowing Him and making Him known.

What really matters?
A dear brother who had suffered a debilitating stroke discussed his new normal with me as we ate lunch together regularly. At times he struggled with a sense of uselessness. I reminded him that he could still walk with God, love Him, and enjoy Him. Therein he would be successful and impactful for his family. He found encouragement is this truth.

What truly matters in this life is not what we can do or how well we can do it. What is meaningful isthat which answers the question “Why?” With apologies to Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock, “What is thepoint of you?” In Christ, you have been reconciled to God in order to relate to Him and to know Him. The more you know Him, the more you will love Him. The more you love Him, the more you will delight in Him. The more you delight in Him, the more you will be satisfied in Him and the more you are satisfied in Him, the more tranquil your heart will be.

A Quest

Karleigh King April 23, 2025

Jesus did not die for you so that you could try hard to be good! As natural legalists, we all must battle the inclination to procure self-righteousness. To relegate your walk of faith in Christ as simply trying to “live the Christian life” means you are focused on your performance. Paul emphasized that no one was better than he was! He believed himself to be blameless when it came to keeping a moral code. But, he asserts, to merely keep trying to be good is to miss the point and the power of the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ.

Jesus died for you so that first, by faith, He could declare you righteous and then transform you into His character. An apple tree branch produces fruit – not because it tries hard to do so – but because the branch abides in and draws life from the tree. Producing apples is a natural outflow. This is what Paul meant when he said, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). This is not a wooden command to try to become more like Jesus. But a call to daily pursue Christ as a student/follower, and surrender (“take My yoke upon you”) to His Spirit’s regenerating work to mold and shape you into the “measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

This shaping occurs through the events of daily life. For example – recently I heard testimony from one of God’s children that they experienced physical hostility from a store employee. This brother initially expressed astonishment and disfavor but did not retaliate. A little later – calling to mind that he was forgiven by Christ – he called the store manager to communicate his desire to forgive the offending store clerk. This was a vastly different response than what it would have been before coming to Christ. This is how attitudes and behaviors are shaped by truth – not out of fear of judgment, but out of love for the One who loved us first.

If you feel compelled to follow a list, then take a dive into the lists of the New Testament. Here are a few examples:

The beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)
Our habits of thought (Philippians 4:8-9; Colossians 3:1-3)
The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
The virtues to add to your faith (2 Peter 1:3-10)
What is looks like to put on Christ in Christian love (Romans 12:9-21; 13:8-14;
Ephesians 4:24-5:2; Colossians 3:12-15)

The directives for you in Christ are largely about relational pursuit of God/man. Follow Him, abide in Him, imitate Him, draw near, love Him….this is what Paul understood as he testified to his receipt of the “righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know Him” (see Philippians 3:7-10).

You become like Christ by pursuing Him. It is not just a matter of knowledge, nor is it brute determination, but a quest to discover, and follow in the steps of the One who knows you fully, loves you completely, and who alone can bring you to the presence of God where there is fullness of joy.

As you meditate on these truths this week and seek to know Him more, here is a song that we sang at the end of the service Sunday to help you keep your mind on Christ: “I Want To Know You” by CityAlight.

Almost There! (Building Expansion Update)

Karleigh King March 25, 2025

This past week, we met with the architect who showed us preliminary renderings of floor plans from what the building planning team had put together with input from various ministries in the church. We made some corrections, tweaks, and some more corrections – overall, we were quite pleased with what was presented.

The “final draft” of preliminary renderings is being composed as we speak. Then the architect will submit the plans to civil engineering to ensure compliance there. Their projected time of presentation with the completed project was in “a couple of weeks” which means we expect that the board will have the full picture and estimated costs sometime in April.

Upon approval from the board, an information meeting will be scheduled to present the whole package to you, the congregation. From that information meeting, we hope to schedule a business meeting for a vote about the building expansion project.

Here is my projection: with all around approvals, I think we should be able to have “a shovel in the ground” by June. The full project – under one building permit – will take about ten months to complete in three phases: 1) new offices & kitchen, 2) downstairs renovation, 3) upstairs renovation & new atrium. We could potentially have the expansion completed by April/May of 2026!

Contributions are being made to our building fund even now. In order for this expansion to become a reality, we will have to raise a good chunk of capital. If you would like to contribute to the building expansion, just write “Building Fund” in the memo line of your check written to Grace Bible Church or choose “Fund - Building” from the dropdown menu when using MyWell. Please be in prayer before the Father for His provision in our stewardship of this project.

Above All Else

Karleigh King March 18, 2025

This somewhat cryptic verse draws us to consider the unequaled knowledge and power of the Sovereign One: “Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD; how much more the hearts of the children of man!” (Proverbs 15:11). Job declared similarly, “Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has nocovering” (Job 26:6). “Sheol” and “Abaddon” represent an unseen world. They are personifications of death and destruction, and while they are a terror to humanity, there is nothing in their realm and capability that is outside of God’s control. They are fully known to God, accountable to Him, and subject to His command.

There is much of the created order that we do not see and cannot observe except for its influence. The fact that all of it is fully known to God is a comfort to those in the grip of His grace; “If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! (Psalm 139:8)

This verse in Proverbs and many others in Scripture bring God’s omniscience down to a very specific point – “He knows the secrets of the heart” (Psalm 44:21). If we take God at His word, this truth can be quite sobering, for “no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).

The “heart” as it is used in Scripture is the place of one’s affections and attitudes. Behavior proceeds from the heart, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). The heart is where evil originates and resides. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19). A law code can compel people to obedience out of duty – even serve to develop habits of moral behavior — but it cannot change a person at the level of affections and attitudes.

This reality introduces us to the necessity of an inward revolution – a heart for what is good and right by the measure of God’s character and purpose. The prophets Jeremiah, who witness the destruction of Jerusalem, and Ezekiel, who was in exile with Judah, introduce us to the New Covenant where God promises a “new heart” for His people. Jesus understood Himself to be the One providing the means for that new heart as He expressed, “this cup is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20).

This new heart in the people of God is bent toward pleasing God — “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed” (Romans 6:17). The one who follows Jesus Christ — communing with and delighting in Him — will experience the inward revolution by thinking His thoughts, seeing through His eyes, loving what He loves, and hating what He hates. The committed follower of Jesus is “doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:6).

What is informing your heart? Is what you set your heart (and mind) on moving you to please God and point others to Him, or is it making you calloused in the passions of the flesh? There is a daily battle for your affections (heart) and your attitudes (mind). So, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians4:8).

“Search me, O God,and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!“
Psalm 139:23-24

Seeing God’s Faithfulness in Our Suffering

Karleigh King March 11, 2025

We are prone to thank God for His faithfulness when things are going our way. That practice is choosing to live in a bubble, not reality. That day will come – but it is not now. He has promised that He will make all things new in a place where there will be no tears,nothing that corrupts, and no darkness. Until that time, we live in a broken created order in which diamonds are polished only through friction. We must remember that God Himself has entered into our suffering in order to redeem us. So our suffering is not permanent and it is not without hope.

I’ve chosen to include an audio linkto a seminar on ten ways we can recognize the faithfulness of God in our trials, which come to prove and improve us. You can listen to it here:

May God snip you and equip you to become like Jesus.

If you’d like a handout to print and use to take notes on the podcast, you can find one here:

God’s Faithfulness In Our Suffering Handout

A LOVING GOD COMMUNICATES

Karleigh King March 4, 2025

Paul and the other apostles wrote with authority, not only because of their commission as apostles, but also because of their confidence in the veracity and power of God’s revealed truth through Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). So as the apostles wrote letters to the early church it was regarded as divine truth to be brought to bear upon each person’s life.

Explaining the authority of the New Testament in his book Truth and Power, J.I. Packer points out, “By setting the apostolic writings above all other tradition, the early church was consciously guarding the gospel against its perverters. In ascribing to those writings divine authority, it was both bracketing them with the Old Testament as ‘able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’ (2 Tim. 3:15) and aligning itself with the New Testament congregations whose obedience to the apostolic message had actually brought them salvation.”

This authoritative and sufficient communication from God was regarded as objective truth, meaning it was anchored in history (reality) and came to us from outside of ourselves. This light coming into our darkness enlightens and protects us from three grand human errors. To begin with, God’s objective Word protects us from the error of the individual as authority. Our inherent self-preeminence compels us to be our own reference point. Practically speaking, that means I am born believing that the universe revolves around me. That is the folly that parents are tasked to rescue their children from. When they are not delivered from such folly, they grow up to be fools and scoffers governed by their passions instead of wisdom and understanding.

This is the second error that God’s objective word protects us from – reason, emotion, and intuition without any anchor. Human reason and passion without a foundation of objective truth is like a kite with no one holding the string. Faulty and wayward at best, humans are prone to pride rather than humility. Striving through self-effort alone will not lead us to an accurate transcendent truth.

The third error that God’s objective truth protects us from is the prospect of just anyone creating an authoritative word – ostensibly divine – that is expected to be authoritative over people’s lives. History bears out that this only creates confusion through competing, relative “truths.”

Indeed, a loving God communicates. Brad Scott in Streams of Confusion says it well: “God, who has made us verbalizers in His image, relational creatures who love and want to be loved, has provided a way, Scripture, for us to understand Him and His will, a way more certain than intellect, intuition, or passion. If He hadn’t provided this means of communication, how could we say that He cared personally about our relationship with Him and His creation? A loving God wouldn’t require that we muddle along, fending for ourselves.”

So, what is the aim of God’s self-disclosure to us? Peter instructs us “As new born babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you might grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). In Living by the Book, Howard Hendricks puts it this way, “Please note, it is not that you may know. Certainly, you can’t grow without knowing. But you can know and not grow. The Bible was written not to satisfy your curiosity but to help you conform to Christ’s image. Not to make you a smarter sinner but to make you like the Savior. Not to fill your head with a collection of biblical facts but to transform your life.”

You can count on this: the more completely your heart and mind are controlled by Scripture, the fuller your freedom and the greater your joy. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

HOW’S YOUR THEOLOGY?

Karleigh King February 25, 2025

“No wisdom, no understanding, and no counsel will prevail against the LORD.”

~Proverbs 21:30 (HCSB)

I’m persuaded that much of our fear, anxiety, discouragement, and hopelessness is the result of bad theology. At its core, what is the Bible all about? The existence, character, and plan of God. Every other aspect of Scripture flows out of the reality of who God is. A bad or weak theology of God will lead to weakness in other areas of theology, and spiritual weaknesses in daily living. I had this experience again and again in counseling. I would be working with someone who was struggling to trust God, but, as I listened to him describe who he thought God was, I immediately understood why he had trouble trusting Him. I would Him too.”

One common mistake in our functional theology of God is thinking He is too small. The God in our minds lacks the awesome, glorious, and incalculable power and authority that the true God of the Bible has. The God of the Bible created the world out of nothing. The God of the Bible holds His creation together by His power. The God of the Bible commands the forces of nature to do His will. The God of the Bible is sovereign over everything and everyone. The God of the Bible rules the nations, and His will will be done. The God of the Bible reigns in majestic splendor so great that nothing compares to Him.

The awesome power and authority of God is on display in the latter part of the book of Jeremiah, as God announces His judgment on the nations that surround His people. This is the Lord, and the nations are answerable to Him. No one can question His power or the authority He has to judge whom He will judge. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (Jer. 46:1), and God told him to announce his judgment on Egypt, the Philistines, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar and Hazor, Elam, and Babylon. This announcement of His judgment is an awesome testament to God’s power.

He is the ultimate King over every one of these nations. He has the power to do for them, with them, and against them whatsoever He wills, whenever He wills to do it. They have no power to challenge or resist his sovereign will. These announcements are in the Bible so we can know that this is who God is. He not only rules over these nations; He commands the entire universe. God sits on His throne in infinite power and glory. All the things that scare you or give you anxiety exist under His almighty rule. Because God has this kind of power and authority, nothing that you need is beyond His power to deliver.

May the God of your thoughts not be too small. May the infinite glory of His power and authority overwhelm anything in creation that might paralyze you with fear.

*This article is adapted from Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life by Paul David Tripp.

FREE TO LIVE

Karleigh King February 21, 2025

We need rescue because Scripture tells us, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). That is the curse of the law, the necessary separation from God – His wrath – from which we desperately need saving. Christ’s redemption rescues us from the power of darkness and the wrath of God. In Christ’s redemption, we have the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness means absorbing a debt, and Christ has absorbed our debt (Colossians 2:14).

Redemption is also the reality that we are released to what our Creator intended for us from the beginning. “And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:15). We are released from the power of darkness and the path of destruction; then, we are liberated to live for Him. He has not rescued us to live autonomous lives. That would only be another destructive slavery which is what got us in trouble in the first place. He rescues us to live according to our design – to realize our purpose – because we were made for Him and designed to enjoy Him.

We were created with the inherent purpose of serving Him with delight as our loving benevolent sovereign. We are liberated to restoration to that relationship for which we were designed thereby finding satisfaction in Him. C.S. Lewis well describes that to which we are liberated in this redemption:

[This is] that unfathomed bounty whereby God turns tools into servants and servants into sons, so that they may be at last reunited to Him in the perfect freedom of a love offered from the height of the utter individualities which He has liberated them to be.

God created us as individuals in His image and He created us with a lofty purpose. Now when we are dead in sin, we are held hostage by our rebellion in the domain of darkness on the path of destruction. The redemption of Christ rescues us from bondage and wrath and releases us to love and delight in Him and thereby find the purpose and satisfaction for which we were created. He did not just purchase us back; He released us to be reunited with Him in the perfect freedom of the love for which He created us. Augustine summed it up accurately in his confession, “You awakened us to delight in Your praise for You made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in You.”

Through redemption we are liberated to this loving relationship with God.

GRACE LIFE

Karleigh King February 11, 2025

“We are an intentional community of grace that loves God,
demonstrated by loving people in a culture of discipleship.”

The mission of Grace is carried out, to a great degree, through our Care Groups. This means that Care Group Leaders are key people in the life and mission of the church. For this reason, we orchestrated a Care Group Leadership Summit for all thirty-seven of them to come together for a time of encouragement and equipping. We thank God for their dedication and skill as we work together with you for your joy.

Each Care Group Leader is under the shepherding oversight of an Elder (each Elder is a care group leader too) who is present and ready to listen to and address pastoral needs of the whole flock. All who are not able to be part of a Care Group are also under the shepherding care of an Elder. If you have not already, you will be contacted soon as to who “your” Elder is. Please be faithful to pray for and support your leaders as we walk together Godward in the mission He has for us.

We have completed the exposition of the book of Deuteronomy. It took thirty-one sermons which started back in April of 2024. It is my desire that through it, the Lord developed in you a deeper appreciation for the record of the Old Testament and were drawn to understand His character and purpose more fully with the gospel of Jesus Christ in view.

Now we proceed to unpack the letter to the Galatians. In it Paul writes “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4–5). Earlier, John recorded that “the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Now, as new creations in Christ, Scripture affirms that the “righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Roman 8:4). In Christ, we are free! As we study this letter, we will explore this freedom in order to understand it and live in it, and to recognize the things that would distract us from it. The theme for our study through Galatians is: “OUR FREEDOM IN CHRIST: Faith Working through Love”. In preparation for this study, I encourage you to read Hebrews 8-10.

See you on the Lord’s Day!

A Passionate Pursuit

Karleigh King February 4, 2025

Proverbs 2 helps us gain an understanding of what it means to “set our minds” on “things that are above” (Colossians 3:1-2), and “on the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5-6).

Receive my words (Prov. 2:1) — The word “receive” means to take in hand and carry along. It is the word used of a man taking a wife; also, of God’s choosing of Israel (Deut. 4:34). It has the nuance of holding near to oneself with lasting vital connection.

Treasure up my commandments (v.1) — “Treasure up” means to store and protect something of great worth or value. This word describes how God treasures His people For example, “He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock” (Ps. 27:5).

Making your ear attentive to wisdom — (v.2) The word “attentive” speaks of paying close attention to details. King Saul was reprimanded for not doing so in I Samuel 15:22.

Incline your heart to understanding — (v.2) To “incline” one’s heart is to stretch it out; it is a word for growth. It also means a turning toward with the sense of loyalty.

Notice the objects of these verbs: words, commands, wisdom and understanding. Where do these come from? “The LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (v.6).

What stands out in these verses is the passion and work that are to be invested in this pursuit. “Call out” and “raise your voice” (vv.3-4) betray a deep, passionate longing for God’s wisdom and knowledge. “Seek” and “search as for hidden treasures” describe the effort (like digging!) God’s people ought to put into discerning and understanding the riches of God’s truth.

What is the benefit of this pursuit? “Then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God” (v.5). It is telling that these verses contain no moral imperatives – only the pursuit of God’s wisdom and knowledge through His Word.

When the Christian’s heart and mind are trained and molded by a focused, fervent quest of God’s self-disclosure, then he will “understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path” (v.9). This is how we are to “apply God’s Word” for it to form and shape our lives.

What happens in entertainment, technology, finances, and fashion has a far greater impact on how our culture thinks about reality than what happens in Washington D.C. or Raleigh. Politics reflect the values of our culture. The habits of heart and mind are shaped by these other more strategic arenas. For example, 18th century Scottish politician Andrew Fletcher said, “Let me write the songs of a nation: I don’t care who writes its laws.” The “songs of a nation” are things upon which the people meditate. Thereby are formed their habits of thoughts.

Paul speaks to this plainly, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).

I challenge you to make regular honest assessments of what is shaping the habits of your heart and mind.

Transformed Love

Karleigh King January 28, 2025

When you read Proverbs 1:20-33, you discover that wisdom is no secret. “She raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city she speaks her words” (vv.20-21). If wisdom is being skilled at life, then one might ask why it is so elusive? The problem is not a lack of knowledge or the information we need to be wise and live well. The problem lies in the power of desire. You do what you want to do. You pursue what you desire. When it comes to principled, noble living “I can’t” is more accurately put “I don’t want to.” “How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing and fools hate knowledge?” (v.22). The history of humanity provides vast empirical verification of the condition of the human heart. Here is how Todd Brewer put it looking at recent history:

Neither [the] global pandemic, the gross injustices, the racial tensions, the mad riots, the macabre political theatre… should have shocked anyone, especially those schooled in the Torah and the prophets. All human history, from Cain and Abel onward, has amply demonstrated that destruction and stupidity, navel-gazing and bloodshed, the ubiquity of fools, and the thin veneer between civilization and anarchy is the norm, not the exception.+

The chief problem of humanity is not environmental, medical, political, educational, or philosophical. At the root of all human folly and brokenness is a disordered love cemented by stubborn pride, “they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD” (v29). Our original parents were deceived into thinking they knew better than God, so they transgressed His loving boundaries, and that self-preeminence is inherited by each one of us.

What is usually not factored in when we are bent on doing our own thing is the law of sowing and reaping, “they shall eat the fruit of their own way” (v.31).Furthermore, complacency in human folly is devastating. “It’s my life” is the most destructive statement a person could say or think (v.32).

It does not have to end there. Thankfully, by God’s grace, there is an alternative in a life well-lived. It is not arbitrary, nor is it simply bound up in my heart waiting for me to follow. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (v7). It is a choice you must make to live the alternative to what is normal in this existence under the sun. Don’t be normal. Because “whoever listens to me [wisdom] will dwell safely and be secure, without fear of evil” (v33). In the Lord alone is true and lasting life and peace. That is how Jesus comforted His followers saying “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful” (John14:27).

Transformed love comes through surrendered trust in the One who made you, loves you, redeemed you, and reconciled you. The more you walk with Him and delight in Him, the more He changes your affections and attitudes to reflect His. Your highest function is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deut.6:5).

___________________

+“The Church in 2020,” Mockingbird (10-16-20)

Sonship Part 4: You Are All Sons of God through Faith in Jesus Christ | Romans 8:12-17

Karleigh King December 24, 2024

The supremacy of God’s Son compels us to consider what He has accomplished. We are called to behold the love the Father has lavished on us in His Son so that we should be called children of God (1 John 3:1). Paul’s statement about our sonship includes key words that delineate the great privilege that is ours.

Paul uses the term “brothers” (adelphos v.12) which speaks to the fact that all who are in Christ have a connection – we are born of God, we are family in the deepest sense of the term – children of the same eternal, infinitely good Father. A father’s nature is passed on to the children. To Titus he calls this the washing of regeneration, and John points out that His seed abides in us (1 John 3:9).

God grants us – His sons – the divine nature through His great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4). Therefore, by the Spirit (not by regulations) we can put to death the deeds of the body (v.13) – that is, we can diminish and render inoperative the selfish drives of the fallen human nature – not by regulatory demands but through our relationship and communion with the Father and Son.

To be led by the Spirit of God (v. 14) speaks to the fact that we are indwelt with His divine nature and that reproduces the character of the Father in us. Those who exude the character of the Father are sons (uihos) of the Father in an evidentiary sense. They therefore can effectively carry on the purposes of the Father as representative heirs (see Matt. 5:44).

In verse 15 Paul makes the distinction he alluded to in verse 13. As adopted sons now having the full right of sonship we are no longer in bondage under a tutor enforcing particular regulations. We have, rather, complete and free access to interact with the Father – the Spirit of adoption (uihothesia) by which we cry out ‘Father!’ This diligent, passionate interaction is life transforming.

The Spirit testifies to us that we are in fact children (tekna) of God (v.16) – ones who share the nature of the Father. God speaks to our conscious understanding through His Spirit saying: “You are mine and I am yours, living in you and through you.”

If we are indeed children then we are heirs (kleyronomos) of God (v.17), joint heirs with Christ ( He is our “brother” – Heb. 2:11) meaning we share in all that is His, from his suffering to His glory, the perfect, perpetual presence of God.

This is profound and worthy of contemplation. Ponder the work accomplished by the Son – that we should be called sons and daughters of God.

May you have a deeper appreciation for Emmanuel this Christmas.

Sonship Part 3: Sons of God Through Faith in Jesus Christ

Karleigh King December 18, 2024

In the first two verses of Galatians 4, Paul describes a traditional Hebrew, Greco-Roman process where a son, at the appointed time established by the father, transitions from being under a tutor – strict elementary disciplines – to adoption wherein the son as an heir receives the full right of sonship. In application, the apostle is not delineating for us the process of an individual’s redemption through coming to faith but is contrasting eras in the history of redemption. The law was a tutor to God’s people of faith and as such, people under the law were in bondage under the elements of the world. The term “world” here does not refer to the world system that does not acknowledge God, but basic religious disciplines in the realm of the physical and temporal – do not touch, taste, handle. The law, as tutor, simply delineated moral behavior as required by God for His people. Then came the adoption in the fullness of time.

The transition from child-under-a-tutor to full right of sons (adoption) was when God sent His unique Son – second Person of the trinity – to redeem. At this point, the righteous requirement of the law was absolutely fulfilled in Christ’s perfect life and redemptive sacrifice. This act opened the way for us (people of faith) to receive adoption with the full right of sonship. Now, as adopted sons, those of faith are no longer under bondage – the strict discipline of moral codes -- but under grace as partakers of the divine nature indwelt with the Spirit of His Son.

Instead of acting to fulfill a moral code through strict discipline, (therefore you are no longer a slave but a son) the sons of God are free to act according to an inherited nature (Spirit of His Son) rooted in a loving relationship with the Father. The freedom to approach and interact with the Father develops that inherited nature.

The statement that the Spirit of His Son in your hearts is crying out “Abba, Father” means that we are at liberty to call aloud to the Father. We were designed for this and the liberty to do so means the impediment has been removed. Calling out to the Father implies endearing relationship and intimate, trusting interaction. Because we were designed and desired for relationship with God, He has now graciously equipped us with the ability to freely commune with Him in right relation. Therein alone is transformational power that will produce the holy character of an heir who represents and carries on the values and purposes of the Father.

Sonship Part 2: You Are All Sons of God through Faith in Jesus Christ

Karleigh King December 10, 2024

"For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why He is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, 'I will tell of Your name to My brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise.' And again, 'I will put my trust in Him.' And again, 'Behold, I and the children God has given Me.'"
~Hebrews 2:10-13

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God sent forth His Son and has spoken to us by His Son. Because of the only begotten Son’s redeeming and reconciling work we can gaze upon the love that the Father has lavished on us – that we should become children of God.  Here is how God in His self-disclosure refers to us in Christ:

Sons – God, who determined the existence and purpose of time, space and creation, had the objective of bringing many sons to glory. Mankind, as the chief creation of God, was designed and desired for relationship with the Creator Himself. Because God is personal, that relationship must necessarily be rooted in love, which is by definition a choice.  Because God is absolutely holy, that relationship must also be perfect in righteousness and absent of any quality that counters the perfect character of holy God. So God purposed to bring many sons to glory through the redemptive work of the Author of their salvation. The sons are the ones who place their faith in that Author – Jesus Christ – who became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Through faith, sinful man is justified (made righteous) and therefore able to be reconciled to the perfect, holy Creator. The glory of it is the perfect, perpetual presence with the infinitely holy and loving God – eternal relationship.

All of one – The sanctified are those who, through faith, are set apart for God’s purpose. God is glorified in their good works specifically through the ministry of reconciliation. As sons, we are representative heirs: we will inherit eternal life and all the riches of God because we are born of God and partakers of His divine nature. We have been born of incorruptible seed states Peter, and John asserts that God’s seed remains in us because we have been born of God. The believer and Christ are all of one because we share a righteousness that is divine in origin. It can also be said that we are of one in the sense that Christ was fully man (though not of Adam) and as such could fully represent us in His redemptive work. The sanctification and the representation are both in the arena of moral character. We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works – works that glorify God and reconcile man because we have been made the righteousness of God in Him. Compare and contrast Matthew 5:9, 44-45 vs 13:38; Eph. 2:2. Sonship is clearly linked to moral character that represents the parent as an outflow of the inherited nature.

Brothers – He (Christ) is not ashamed to call them brothers: the “them” of this statement are the sons, the representative joint-heirs who share the divine nature – those of us who are begotten of Him. We are brothers and sisters with Christ in the sense that we share a connection from the “womb” as those who have been born of God.

Part 3 next week.

BUILDING UPDATE
The Building Planning Team has submitted a building expansion and renovation plan that – we believe – can be accomplished very close to our intended goal of $1.5 million.  The board has approved this plan to be forwarded to Fourth Elm to proceed with the preconstruction project.  Our goal is that this proposed plan can be presented to the congregation for initial consideration at the Annual Business Meeting on January 12 at 6:00PM with details, expected costs, and drawings.

Sonship Part 1: You Are All Sons of God through Faith in Jesus Christ | Galatians 3:26

Karleigh King December 4, 2024

Just as the disciples expressed wonder and astonishment at the nature of Jesus’ person after He calmed the sea with three words – “what manner of man is this!?” – so John the apostle expressed wonderment at the nature of God’s love – "behold what manner of love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God." There are profound depths to be explored in the revealed truth that we as finite, frail, fickle and fallen creatures could be called children of the infinite, holy, and perfect Creator/God.

This sonship is more than the conventional idea that we are all children of God as products of His creation. Becoming a child of God is entrenched in the one and only eternally preexistent Son of God: "as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God." This unique Son of God is the "author of salvation" with the objective of "bringing many sons to glory" (Heb. 2:10). For that reason "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Indeed, God "sent forth His Son" and has "spoken to us by His Son." But this Son is unique as the "only begotten Son of God" because He is the same essence as God the Father and is the only one of a kind who can fully and exactly express the Father as the representative heir.

The infinite God revealed Himself to us in a relationship that can be understood by finite man. John recorded a prayer by the Son to the Father that expressed not only the eternal preexistence of the Son in perfect relationship with the Father, but that we, created in His image, are designed and desired for relationship also (see John 17:20-24).

Key terms of relationship in the New Testament that describe the believer (Jn. 3:36) include child (teknon) meaning offspring or shared nature; son (huios) meaning one in the position of heir and who can represent; adoption (huiothesia) meaning one who receives the full right of sons; brother (adelphos) meaning connected from the womb; and heir (kleronomos) meaning one who will inherit. All of these titles apply to the believer in Jesus Christ with all the honors, rights and privileges appertaining thereto.

Gratitude Is A Key To Wisdom

Karleigh King November 27, 2024

The essential idea of wisdom (ḥākam) in the Old Testament represents a manner of thinking and attitude concerning life’s experiences including matters of general interest and basic morality. These concerns relate to prudence in secular affairs, skills in the arts, moral sensitivity, and experience in the ways of the Lord[1]

To be precise, wisdom is life lived well. It is not to be thought of synonymously with intelligence, for many knowledgeable and smart people do not live life well.

Proverbs 2:6-11informs us that it is “the Lord [who] gives wisdom. From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” This manifests in our lives by justice, equity (integrity & uprightness), and every good path.

You become wise by studying the acts of God. As you are formed by God’s loving faithful discipline and restoration you will become grateful for His faithful love.

An ungrateful person will be prone to act foolishly in two ways. First, God becomes small. In such a case one develops an inflated self-perception or thinks of him/herself too much and proceeds to live out acts of self-importance. This manifests in arrogance and demands for affirmation. “His soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him” (Habakkuk 2:4). This person’s reckless pride will lead to folly and failure.

Secondly, God’s love is forgotten. When one forgets God’s boundless and enduring love, he or she will go looking for love in places and degrees that will leave a soul thirsty, wanting, and often hurting.

If you find yourself drifting, dry, and prone to complain – and we all are from time-to-time in varying degrees – study what God has done; contemplate his justice and grace. He is for you. Most importantly, remember His faithful love; it is his chief self-description. When life under the sun is done, the grateful person will be more likely to hear, “Well done!”

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever!"
Psalm 107:1

[1] Goldberg, L. (1999). 647 חָכַם. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 282). Moody Press.

Captivated

Karleigh King November 19, 2024

It is possible, sadly, to be in Christ yet still perceive God as our judge who stands ready to condemn us every time we step out of line. If that is our perception of God, then that is how we will represent Him to others. If our representation of the walk of faith is more about morality, then our perception of God is probably not of the one who has done all the work necessary to reconcile us to Himself. People cannot just “get in line” with our Christian ideas of morality. God is the one that must reconcile them, and only if they have been credited with the righteousness of Christ. If our religion is one of criticism and judgment, then we hold the false idea that the “bad” must become “good.” God has given us “the ministry of reconciliation” (Romans 5:11), not a ministry of moral demands and judgment. The wrath of God is necessary, but He has saved us from that wrath. He has entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to those already reconciled. Paul made this abundantly clear:

"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

That is a powerful purpose for our interaction with people in our world – friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors. We who are reconciled serve as agents of reconciliation. Many are fighting a lonely battle against God. Let us be the ones who communicate that God has opened the gates of reconciliation and peace.

You may be familiar with the story of Nate Saint, who was one of five missionaries to Ecuador in the 1950s. The five men were murdered by the Waodani people—a primitive, indigenous tribe—while they were trying to make contact with them. In a testament to forgiveness, the families of the slain missionaries later returned to the tribe, eventually winning many of them to Christ. Nate Saint’s son Steve was asked if there was a specific moment of reconciliation between the families of the deceased missionaries and the Waodani tribe. This is how he answered:

It was a developing thing, but I think the point of reconciliation really was with Mincaye, (the man who killed his father) and my Aunt Rachel. Mincaye said to Aunt Rachel (Nate's sister), “You said that the Creator is very strong.”

Aunt Rachel said, “Mincaye, He is very strong. He made everything here, even the dirt.”

Mincaye said, “You said that He could clean somebody's heart. My heart being very, very dark, can He clean even my heart?”

And Aunt Rachel said, “Being very strong, He can clean even your heart.”

In her journal she wrote that Mincaye got up and walked away but that the next morning he came back excited. He said, “What you said is true. Speaking to God has cleaned my heart. Now it's clear like the sky when it has no clouds in it”.

That was the real beginning of reconciliation.

This is a beautiful example of God's reconciliation. When we understand that God is a reconciling God, we can see the powerful possibilities that exist for healing in human relationships. When we are reconciled to God, in relationship with Him, our mission is to bring people to reconciliation with God. It is not about making “bad” people “good.” It is, rather, about introducing people to the God who reconciles, bringing them from death to life.

This article is taken from 7 WORDS that can CHANGEYOUR LIFE, pp.87-90

Our Oneness in Christ

Karleigh King October 29, 2024

In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul makes a plea to the Church to understand the uniqueness of gospel-centered relationships because their behavior was incongruous with the gospel (20-22). Unregenerate behavior is to label and divide. Factious “tribes” are what cause conflicts, and even in the Church, those divides may be drawn along cultural, ethnic, political, or socio-economic lines as they were at Corinth. There were also spiritual leader tribes, “I am of Paul” or “I am of Cephas.” Then there were factions created by comparing gifts and functions in the Church as if some were more important than others.

As Paul instructed the Church about the significance of the Lord’s table (23-26) he emphasized the meaning of the body of Christ. A body is one complete whole and the important thing to remember is that Christ took our brokenness upon Himself to rescue us from it and make us whole. The pronouns and verbs He used about the Church (“you” & “do” ) are plural. So, “discerning the body” (29) is a call to understand Christ-centered relationships. The way this practically plays out at the Lord’s table is to “wait for one another” (33). In other words, do this together as one.

Jesus provided a shocking picture of what humble oneness looks like – serving one another. He, the Creator and Lord, washed His disciple’s feet!

"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you."
~ John 13:14–15

He, after all, is the One who made the provision for other-focused oneness to become a reality through His redeeming work of reconciliation. We who were alienated have been “brought near by the blood of Christ.” He is our peace and has “made us one” (Eph. 2:13-14). Based on this provision, Paul announces our placement through faith in the body of Christ by His Spirit. A body is a clear picture of diversity in unity – every part of the body moves in the same direction and is under the control of one head (1 Cor. 12:12-13).

The pronouncement he makes to the Galtian believers is clear,

"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
~Galatians 3:27–28

It is not that these categories do not exist any longer, clearly there are still male and female people, but the point is that in Christ we all have equal standing – at the foot of the cross. That place of humility and oneness compels us to follow the pattern laid out to the Ephesian church – “the unity of the faith,” and “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” In Christ the whole body is joined and held together. “Each part working properly makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph 4:13-16).

This was on the Lord Jesus’ heart and mind when He communed with His Father the night before His crucifixion. He prayed, not only for His disciples then, but for “those who will believe in Me through their word” (John 17:20) – that’s us! What did He pray for?

"…that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me."
~John 17:21–23

The purpose of God is sure, and Jesus saw His spiritual offspring through the travail of His soul (Isa. 53:11), so the prospect was not just a potentiality, it was definite. What the Lord Jesus could see during His passion was the new (redeemed, reconciled) humanity in unison around the throne.

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
~Revelation 7:9-10

Every time we gather corporately it is a dress rehearsal and foretaste of the grand reunion of God’s family where we will be forever with Him and perfectly like His Son.

But until that time, Jesus left us with this instruction, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Because of the presence of His Spirit in us, He raised the bar on the standard for love. Building on “Love your neighbor as yourself” He gave a new command to “love as I have loved you” (34). This is the trademark of being Christian – it is our chief witness. So, John asserts, “let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18). Paul backs that up with the directives, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10), and “…through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

At the Lord’s table we are called to remember Him and His sacrificial work of redemption. But remembering does not just mean recalling to mind, but to act on what you know. The best way to remember the Lord is to live out the humble, loving unity for which He redeemed us. We don’t create unity; we live in it. As we last met at the Lord’s table the distribution of the bread and the cup was by serving each other and reciting what the Lord Jesus commanded us to do, “I will love you as Christ has loved me.” It was a special and moving time. May we remember Christ by living in the oneness for which He prayed and sacrificed Himself.

Bind My Wandering Heart To Thee

Karleigh King October 21, 2024

About to cross the Jordan River into the promised land God commanded His people to build an altar to help them remember and to teach future generations the gracious redemption of Jehovah for His people. The stone monument was to be covered with plaster, and the law He had given them was to be inscribed on it (Deuteronomy 27).

Moses declared a solemn pronouncement of Israel’s identity: “Keep silence and hear, O Israel, today you have become the people of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 27:9). You are who God says you are, and that carries with it implications for life and behavior.

The leaders of Israel were called to make pronouncements over sinful behaviors. These pronouncements declared that when one practices attitudes or actions contrary to God’s character and purpose, they put themselves on the path of disaster. Another way to put it is, sin makes you stupid and is self-destructive.

Eight sinful practices are listed in this chapter alone: fear and discontentment can lead you to idolatry (15), dishonoring parents flows from ingratitude (16), disregard for a neighbor’s boundaries is a result of greed (17), exploiting a neighbor's disability is cruelty (18), perverting justice betrays condescending partiality (19), sexual perversion comes from uncontrolled urges (20-23), hatred – indifference for another’s life – is murder (24-25), and lastly, moral indifference will lead to disaster (26). The monument, the declaration of their identity, and the pronouncements (Deuteronomy 27-28) were a constant call to God’s people to remember who they were, what God had done, and the inferences for their behavior.

Thankfully the progression of God’s revelation discloses to us the fulfillment of this covenant, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). Now in Christ there is a new altar, “My law written on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 10:16), says the Lord. And the declaration of God is that in Christ we are justified, we are acceptable before holy God because we have received Christ’s righteousness. In this reality the implication on the believer’s life and behavior is “so you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11).

Even in this freedom and rest there remains for us – under the sun – a battle against the distractions of sin through our affections, appetites, and attitudes. This compels us to live at the altar – the reminder of who we are in Christ, and what He has done to make it possible. The altar is not a thing or an event, but a Person – a relationship with the benevolent Sovereign who loves us and gives Himself to us (grace). Living at the altar means a pursuit of that Person.

Unfortunately, we have recently been made aware – yet again – of the moral failure of a high-profile Christian leader. A highly sought after conference speaker, author, and church preacher, this man was on the road a lot. It was discovered and confessed that he had had an inappropriate relationship with a woman for an extended time meaning much of his preaching had been done in deceit and hypocrisy. The news dismayed many young pastors and seminarians who admired this leader.

Among the responses from influential leaders, one said, “You won’t have sex with a woman not your wife if you are never alone in a room with a woman not your wife.” While this is true, it is little more than sin management. External boundaries have their place in our fight against temptations as Paul stated, “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). But external rules (sin management) are an incomplete answer. Paul also said, “they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (Colossians 2:23). So, one might ask, what resource and ability does the Christian have to keep from getting trapped in stupid sins?

Think about it – this admired author, pastor and conference speaker was very busy for God, but he was not walking with God. He was not living at the altar – in a passionate pursuit of God, delighting in Him so that his wandering heart would be bound to the One who alone is our highest good and deepest satisfaction. Too often, Christians mistake their busyness for God as their walk with God. They are not the same.

Paul makes it clear that our position has profound implications for our affections and attitudes. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1–2). An altar is a place of communion and sacrifice. For the one who belongs to God it is a habitual space in your life of undisturbed communion where you seek God and delight in him with all your heart & soul. You draw near to God.

When you draw near, the loving Father speaks to you through His self-disclosure. You contemplate His words and meditate on them. And you respond to Him with adoration, confession, and thanks, surrendering yourself to Him anew each time. Even more, He has promised that when you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you! Living at the altar will captivate our heart, binding it to Him (See John 14:23). Out of this, the practical daily good thing for us in the battle is cleansing our sinful hands and purifying our double-minded hearts (James 4:8).

Practicing the presence of God in this way will find us abiding in Christ. Jesus invites His followers to abide in him like a branch abides in the vine drawing fruit-producing life from it (John 15:5). John’s striking statement is, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin” (1 John 3:6 NKJV). The apostle – with an absolute negative – is pointing out wo mutually exclusive activities, practicing sin and abiding in Christ. You cannot do both at the same time. Jesus left us an example so we could walk in His steps, encourages Peter. As we pursue Him, we become like Him. Then we will practice the qualities that reflect His character, and in practicing these qualities, he asserts, we “will never fall” (2 Peter 1:10). “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:14).

When you are drawing near to the Father and walking in Jesus’ steps you are walking in the Spirit. When you walk in the Spirit you “will not gratify the selfish desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Jesus said that His Spirit “will teach you and bring to remembrance all that I have said” (Jn. 14:25). He illuminates God’s self-disclosure to us, and the Holy Spirit in us is our ability to follow Jesus and abide in His word which frees us from being crippled in bondage. The Spirit of God works with the word of God informing and transforming our affections (what we love) and attitudes (how we think), so we can practically affirm in our life experience what the Psalmist expressed, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

What is more, “His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” and by Him we cry out, “Abba, Father!” Such a cry expresses the satisfying sense that we are fully loved, supplied, and protected. We shall not want.

Romans 8:13-14 summarizes it well: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Yielding to the lure of selfish desires comes from feeding out of the dumpster of self-preeminence. Count on the fact that it will end in disaster.

But living at the altar offers us a banquet for our highest good and deepest satisfaction. “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). In Christ, we have the selective power of what occupies our hearts (affections) and minds (attitudes). Paul Tripp accurately states, “Sin is a battle of the heart and is won or lost there.” Living at the altar – delighting in the Trinity – must be where we are labor-intensive. It means we never lose the wonder of a passionate pursuit of God. This will bind our wandering hearts to Him.

A Powerful Relationship – God Wants You!

Karleigh King July 25, 2024

A Powerful Relationship – God Wants You!

“I now know the Bible says I am a new creation,” the believer might say, “but what do I do with that knowledge? Where do I go from here to become like Christ without just trying harder?”

This question becomes crucial in the day-to-day where the believer finds himself confronted with urges and temptations that are contrary to the character and purpose of God. Because he still resides in a corruptible tent, the unredeemed body, the believer continues to battle the selfish and self-destructive “lusts of the flesh.” Paul explains this battle in Romans 7:18: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” This truth is also evident in Romans 8:23: “even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”

The daily battle against the luring of sin must be waged with the right foundation of knowledge in regard to the liberating truth of regeneration. First, God’s transformation in one’s life (regeneration) is not a personal, self-imposed reformation. Second, life transformation is something only God can do because He creates life where life did not exist before.

Peter affirms that the believer is born of “incorruptible seed,” and John explains that this seed is God’s seed. A seed is a power-packed bundle of life, but that seed must grow in order to produce. Likewise, growing in grace is imperative for the believer. God made us for Himself and in Christ has reconciled us to Himself. The fact that Jesus “laid down His life” (I John 3:16) “to bring you to God” (I Pet. 3:18) carries profound meaning. God wants a relationship of deep personal interaction with you. Transformation into the image of Jesus Christ is realized through the passionate pursuit and development of that relationship. This truth is encapsulated in the lyrics of the CityAlight song "I Want To Know You":

I've tried in vain a thousand ways
My fears to quell, my hopes to raise
But what I need, Your word has said
Is ever, only, Jesus

You died, You live, You reign, You plead
There's love in all Your words and deeds
This weary heart finds all it needs
In ever, only, Jesus

I want to know You, Jesus my Lord
King of the Heavens, King of my soul
I trade my treasures and all my rewards
Jesus, to know You, then know You more.[i]