"For this is the covenant which I shall be covenanting with the house of Israel after those days," the Lord is saying: "Imparting My laws to their comprehension, on their hearts, also, shall I be inscribing them, And I shall be to them for a God, And they shall be to Me for a people.
Hebrews 8: 10, Concordant New Testament
I heard a radio pastor this week mention that we will truly know the Lord when we know and follow His desires. Of course, his way of doing this was to somehow become closer to the Lord. This, of course, takes time and effort on the believers part. Are we willing to reach out in our attempt to get closer to God? Ironically, this was something I heard all too often within the walls of the institutional church. As sinners, man could only hope to be "closer" to Jesus in our lifetime. The trouble is, many Christians continue to slog through the sin issue, not realizing what Jesus has already accomplished. Yes, we were once all sinners and we carried that mark with us {Romans 3:23}. What I can't figure is why the scripture of man being a sinner is still so widely accepted and yet the verses explaining how Christ defeated that sin is us are overlooked. Indeed, the work of Christ on the cross erased our former sin nature {Romans 6:11}. The apostle Paul writes that we should now consider ourselves to be "dead" to sin. That means that we're no longer defined by the misdeeds of our past. The slate has been wiped clean. It is Jesus who took that sin upon Himself at the cross {2 Corinthians 5:21}. Jesus literally gave Himself for us. However, if you were to listen to more than a few modern church sermons on the topic of sin, one of the first things that is mentioned is that we are still sinners. If this were indeed the case, then Jesus has died for nothing. Fortunately, scripture assures us that this is no longer the case. Jesus DID give Himself for me. Jesus IS now in me {Galatians 2:20}. Yet, the mainstream church continues to pick cherry pick which scriptures best describe who we are today.
For you are manifesting a letter of Christ, dispensed by us, and engraven, not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets, but on the fleshly tablets of the heart.
2 Corinthians 3: 3, Concordant New Testament
How is it that we will know that we truly know God? Fortunately, it will not be determined by how what church we attend or how much we dump onto that tithing plate. For these are but church traditions not lending to knowing the Lord in an intimate way. No, we will be confident that we know the Lord when we realize that we do KNOW Him. When we are confident in our hearts that God dwells in us. A relationship with Jesus is not simply memorizing verses and praying, but knowing in our hearts that He lives in us. In the marriage relationship, there comes a point after the passage of time where husband and wife know each other deeply enough that they can understand what each other feeling in a given moment. I believe that this also holds true in our relationship with the Father. Paul mentions in the book of Hebrews that God has written His commandments upon our hearts {Hebrews 8:10}. Paul mentions that we are carrying within each of us "A letter of Christ," again, engraved upon our hearts {2 Corinthians 3:3}. It is the desires of the Lord which are written upon the hearts of all. In this we know the Father. Of course, there are those who choose to overlook or flat out ignore that which is a part of them. This in no way means that the laws of the Lord were written only upon the hearts of the believer. We all have this reminder of the Lord within us. This is who we are.
Let the word of Christ be making its home in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing yourselves; in songs, in hymns, in spiritual songs, singing, with grace in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3: 16, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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