Filled With His Fullness
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:19.
There are many who think that it is impossible to escape from the power of sin, but the promise is that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. We aim too low. The mark is much higher. Our minds need expansion, that we may comprehend the significance of the provision of God. We are to reflect the highest attributes of the character of God. We should be thankful that we are not to be left to ourselves. The law of God is the exalted standard to which we are to attain. . . . We are not to walk according to our own ideas. . . , but we are to follow in the footsteps of Christ.
The work of overcoming is in our hands, but we are not to overcome in our own name or strength, for of ourselves we cannot keep the commandments of God. The Spirit of God must help our infirmities. Christ has become our sacrifice and surety. He has become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Through faith in His name He imputes unto us His righteousness, and it becomes a living principle in our life. . . . Christ imputes to us His sinless character and presents us to the Father in His own purity.
We cannot provide a robe of righteousness for ourselves, for the prophet says, “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). There is nothing in us from which we can clothe the soul so that its nakedness shall not appear. We are to receive the robe of righteousness woven in the loom of heaven, even the spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness. We are to say, “He died for me. He bore my soul’s disgrace, that in His name I might be an overcomer and be exalted to His throne.”
It is privilege of the children of God to be filled with all the fullness of God. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end” (Ephesians 3:20, 21).
That I May Know Him p. 302
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Prayer Requests
—–My brother Ronnie having surgery today. I ask for prayers for him. I trust and will keep my faith that the Lord will guide the Dr’s to remove all the cancer! Kathy
—–Please pray for Brian, Esther and the children as they finish their trip home today. Also, our car won’t start even though we replaced the starter yesterday. Please pray that a friend who is looking at it today can figure out the trouble and that it will not be expensive. Rose
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Dear Friends,
Our Great Redeemer commands, “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people.” Lev 19:16 Everyone has times been a part of repeating gossip never realizing how damaging it is to the person who is the object of their talebearing. We all have had times when we have been or are being treated unfairly and our lives are changed because of talebearers. These rumors that circulate can be totally false, but that does not stop them from being repeated. As these rumors travel around, they grow with the telling. It is hard to bear. Being the object of gossip leaves scars. These scars ard worse when the ones spreading gossip are fellow church members.
When someone very dear to me was a teen, she became the object of gossip and being misjudged due to a former friend became jealous over some minor matter. This friend’s tale-bearing has caused her untold grief and pain over the years. Since this is an experience that we all go through from time to time, I thought I would share the letter that she wrote a few years ago concerning how the Holy Spirit has helped her deal with unfair gossip. She wrote:
“I was reading through the book of Matthew today and when I reached the 13th chapter, I found something that made me understand some of the people within the church who have caused me so much trouble over the years. Many times I have questioned in my heart as to why God would allow people without God’s love to remain in leadership roles in His church—especially when they were hurting so many people. I thought that this couldn’t possibly be God’s plan because my God is loving and kind. I have struggled with this for years and I know this struggle is shared with each of you. I have found peace this morning and it is my prayer that at the close of this letter, you will find peace and forgiveness flowing through you!
“Yes, chapter 13 is the parable of the wheat and the tares. It wasn’t the beginning that struck me, but the end: “Then He put another parable before them. ‘The kingdom of Heaven ,’ He said, ‘Is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. What the crop came up and ripened, the weeds appeared as well. Then the owner’s servants came up and said: ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did all these weeds come from?’ ‘Some enemy has done this to spite me,” he replied. ‘Do you want us then to go out and pull them all up?’ said the servants. ‘No,’ he returned, ‘if you pull up the weeds now, you would pull up the wheat with them. Let them both grow together till the harvest. And at the harvesttime, I shall tell the reapers, ‘Collect all the weeds first and tie them up in bundles ready to burn, but collect the wheat and store it in my barn.’” Matthew 13:24-30 IME
“I know that you have read this story many times—but more can still be found! I realized that just as the weeds could not be removed for fear of pulling up some wheat in the process, the unloving, cruel people are allowed to remain for fear of losing some of the loving. God knows that if He removed the bad people in the church, some of the sincere might, no—-would, become discouraged and be lost.
“Like it or not, the people that have hurt us are helping others in one way or another and it is better that they remain for those few souls. Perish the thought—they could be lost.
“Our trials have not been in vain, and the Lord did not allow us to weaken and die, but instead these experiences strengthened us! Praise the Lord!! “For if you forgive other people their failures, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you will not forgive other people, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you your failures.” Matthew 6:14-18
“This is a very strong warning to us that we must heed. Our eternal life and forgiveness is at stake! Please accept God’s power to forgive those who have hurt us, for we fail too. Who is to say they are worse than we are?
“God says, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Heavenly Father” Matthew 5:44 I pray that you will find forgiveness so you will find peace.”
Let us determine never to judge another, for the Great Judge, Who is also our Dear Saviour, has commanded, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matt 7:1-5 Let us, when confronted by gossip, determine not to repeat it, for when we repeat it, we are contributing a part that can change someone’s life forever. Let us remember, “he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers” 1 Peter 3:10-12
Rose