“SIH’s Think On These Things: 2 Peter 3:11-14” “Setting Life’s Priorities (4)”

[Please note: This morning we are looking at a series on “Setting Life’s Priorities”.  For this series we will be looking at the following four Scriptures as main texts (several other texts will be referred to during our study)…

1.  Eccl 6:7 (KJV)  All the labour of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

2.  John 6:26-27 (KJV)  Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

3.  1Tim 6:6-8 (KJV)  But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

4.  2Pet 3:11-14 (KJV)  [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness,  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

In my way of seeing things, one of the greatest needs in the world today is the need for each of us to come to an understanding of what is really important in life and beginning to seek those things above all others.  May the Lord bless each one of us with knowledge, understanding, and wisdom as we attempt to come to an understanding of this very important subject.]

 

In our final devotional of this series we will be looking at 2 Peter 3:11-14.  The portions of this text we will be centering on is “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? “ and “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless”.    The main theme for us is “considering the future when assigning priorities to our lives”.

 

In this text, when we consider the promise our Lord has given to us concerning His second coming and end-time events, we find two a very basic promise:  the total annihilation of the things of this sinful fallen world… “wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”

 

What should our response be to this future promise given by God Himself?  We are to devalue the things of this world and make the sure that our Lord’s desires for us become the center of our life’s priorities…  “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless”

 

To summarize our series there are four basic principles to apply as we seek to prioritize our life’s goals….

1. We are told that we are to live our life for that which brings us lasting satisfaction and fulfillment. (Eccl 6:7)

2. One step in achieving this goal is to ask the question “Does this labor I am about to undertake have any lasting, spiritual value?”  (John 6:26-27)

3. Another step in setting our life’s examples involves recognizing the role of contentment in both the spiritual and physical aspects of our lives. Our need is to be content with our spiritual blessings and our physical needs being supplied to us. (1 Tim 6:6-8)

4. The final principle to take into account as we set our life’s priorities is to remember the future promises of God.  This sinful fallen world and the things in it will be destroyed.  Therefore, we are to set our eyes on devaluing the things of this world, and placing the Lord’s desires for us in the forefront of our minds. (2 Peter 3:11-14)

 

May the Lord help each one of us to set the right priorities in life and become lights shining in the midst of a sin darkened world.  May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

SIH Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/

SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com

“SIH’s Think On These Things: 1Tim 6:6-8” “Setting Life’s Priorities (3)”

[Please note: This morning we are looking at a series on “Setting Life’s Priorities”.  For this series we will be looking at the following four Scriptures as main texts (several other texts will be referred to during our study)…

1.  Eccl 6:7 (KJV)  All the labour of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

2.  John 6:26-27 (KJV)  Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

3.  1Tim 6:6-8 (KJV)  But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

4.  2Pet 3:11-14 (KJV)  [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness,  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

In my way of seeing things, one of the greatest needs in the world today is the need for each of us to come to an understanding of what is really important in life and beginning to seek those things above all others.  May the Lord bless each one of us with knowledge, understanding, and wisdom as we attempt to come to an understanding of this very important subject.]

 

In our text, we see another key to helping us set our life’s priorities.  This key is presented to us in two different phrases… “But godliness with contentment is great gain” & ” And having food and raiment let us be therewith content”.   These phrases help us to understand that we are to set our life’s priorities using a contented spirit. 

 

The Greek words translated “contentment” and “content” share the same Greek root word.  It is a word that means “it is enough” or “I need no more”.   Also, please notice that, in the context of our verses, a spirit of contentment involves both the physical and spiritual areas of our life.  Contentment is related to both “godliness” (spiritual aspect) and “food and raiment” (physical aspect).   

 

What a wonderful blessing it is to be able to say, “Dear Lord, I can see you working in my life spiritually… I can see your intervention on my behalf; I can see your graces allowing me to bear fruit for you; I can see you are maturing me”…. This is all I need.   And likewise, “Dear Lord, you have given me food to eat and clothing to wear… this is enough for me.” 

 

It is with this spirit that we are to set our life’s priorities.  To recognize that our spiritual growth and service to Christ should be our first priority and that all other areas of our life run a VERY distant second in priority helps us to make our daily and long-term priorities for our lives.  This is turn, allows us to keep the instructions given to us in Col 3:1-4…

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

 

To summarize our series so far….

1. We are told that we are to live our life for that which brings us lasting satisfaction and fulfillment. (Eccl 6:7)

2. One step in achieving this goal is to ask the question “Does this labor I am about to undertake have any lasting, spiritual value?”  (John 6:26-27)

3. Another step in setting our life’s examples involves recognizing the role of contentment in both the spiritual and physical aspects of our lives. (1 Tim 6:6-8)

 

May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.

 

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

SIH Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/

SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com

“SIH’s Think On These Things: John 6:26-27” “Setting Life’s Priorities (2)”

[Please note: This morning we are looking at a series on “Setting Life’s Priorities”.  For this series we will be looking at the following four Scriptures as main texts (several other texts will be referred to during our study)…

1.  Eccl 6:7 (KJV)  All the labour of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

2.  John 6:26-27 (KJV)  Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

3.  1Tim 6:6-8 (KJV)  But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

4.  2Pet 3:11-14 (KJV)  [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness,  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

In my way of seeing things, one of the greatest needs in the world today is the need for each of us to come to an understanding of what is really important in life and beginning to seek those things above all others.  May the Lord bless each one of us with knowledge, understanding, and wisdom as we attempt to come to an understanding of this very important subject.]

 

In our text for this morning, John 6:26-27 explains to us a very simple comparison that we are to make as we seek Godly instruction on our life’s investments.  This comparison is found in the phrase “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you:”

 

In this portion of Scripture, we are clearly shown that when we are deciding if we are to live our lives to accomplish a certain goal the question that must be asked is this… “Does this goal I am endeavoring to realize have any lasting, spiritual value?”   In the context of our passage, Christ explains that we should commit our lives to attaining truth that will lead us to the receipt of eternal salvation.  This path to salvation is given to us by Christ, Who has been given the authority over sin and death by God the Father.  Not only that, but the Father clearly demonstrated His approval of Christ’s ministry by placing His “seal” upon Him.  Why is understanding and following the way of salvation to be our number one priority of life?  Because of its infinite, eternal spiritual value… “endureth unto everlasting life”.  

 

In the earlier portion of our text, we can see that Christ was speaking to those who were placing a higher priority on physical bread, that would only give them short-lived physical nourishment, as compared to the “meat which endureth” (ie truths about the way of salvation) that would spiritually benefit them for an eternity. 

 

Considering the spiritual and eternal value of our goals in life will help us to discern what should be of utmost importance to us.

 

To summarize our series so far….

1. We are told that we are to live our life for that which brings us lasting satisfaction and fulfillment. (Eccl 6:7)

2. One step in achieving this goal is to ask the question “Does this labor I am about to undertake have any lasting, spiritual value?”  (John 6:26-27)

 

May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.

 

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

SIH Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/

SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com

SIH’s Think On These Things: Eccl 6:7

[Please note: This morning we are looking at a series on “Setting Life’s Priorities”.  For this series we will be looking at the following four Scriptures as main texts (several other texts will be referred to during our study)…

1.  Eccl 6:7 (KJV)  All the labour of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

2.  John 6:26-27 (KJV)  Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.  Labour not for the meat      which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

3.  1Tim 6:6-8 (KJV)  But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

4.  2Pet 3:11-14 (KJV)  [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness,  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

In my way of seeing things, one of the greatest needs in the world today is the need for each of us to come to an understanding of what is really important in life and beginning to seek those things above all others.  May the Lord bless each one of us with knowledge, understanding, and wisdom as we attempt to come to an understanding of this very important subject]

 

Our text for this devotion is a very sobering one for us all.  Our text is Eccl 6:7 “All the labour of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.”  In this text, we find the principle presented to us that, many times, when we attain that which we have devoted our lives to possess, we find ourselves empty, lacking and unsatisfied.  Sad to say, we all have experienced this tragic occurrence sometime during our lifetime.  For many, it is a way of life, when they are driven to attain one desire after another and finding them all lacking, without giving fulfillment nor enduring value to their lives. 

 

The ultimate question we must ask ourselves is this…. “Into what can I invest my life that will have lasting, permanent value, result in personal satisfaction, give a sense of true accomplishment and grant us peace with God?”  This is the issue that King Solomon was addressing when, about 3000 years ago…. Eccl 1:1-8 (KJV)  The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.  Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity.  What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?  [One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.  The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.  The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.  All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea [is] not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.  All things [are] full of labour; man cannot utter [it]: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.  

 

Solomon invested his entire adult life to seeking the answer to this perplexing problem.  From outward observation, it appears as if this world is on a gigantic treadmill, the same events taking place from one generation to the next generation without any lasting results of the investment of our life.  It is this same issue that we are still struggling with today.  It is this issue that we will be finding an answer in God’s Word through the devotions that are yet to come.

 

As we enter into our day, I would like to ask each one of us to carefully examine how we use our time today.  As we go about our busy schedules always keep in the back of your mind this question… “As I complete this task, does it gain for me lasting value?  Does it give me lasting satisfaction?  Can I lay down my head to rest tonight knowing that I have pleased my Lord with my life this day?   

 

May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

SIH Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/

SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com

“SIH’s Think On These Things: 1 Peter 1:18-19”

1Pet 1:18-19 (KJV)

18) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers;

19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

 

The great price of our redemption is clearly declared to us in our text for this morning.  Our redemption is not based upon any price that we might pay (silver, gold etc.) but it is based upon something of far greater value… the shed blood of Christ. 

 

The blood of Christ is far more precious than all the silver and gold that this world has to offer.  Why is this?  It is because of the great sacrifice that was involved in this shedding of blood.   Please keep in mind for Christ’s blood to be shed on Calvary’s cross there was a series of unparalleled sacrifices that had to be made by Christ:

 

1. Christ had to come to earth as fleshly man (Roms 8:3-4)

2. Christ had to humble Himself, choosing to not exercise His Godly attributes as He lived life on earth. (Phil 2:6-7)

3. Christ had to allow Himself to be temptedand yet live a perfect life in the midst of a sinful world (Heb 4:14-16)

4. Christ had to submit to earthly authorities as they shamed, tried, and convicted Him for sins that He did not commit. (1 Peter 3:18)

5. Christ had to take upon Himself the sin of His people, experiencing the punishment of these sins while He hung on the cross.  The greatest of these punishments was separation from His heavenly Father. (1 Pet 2:23-25)

6. Christ had to be willing to die in the place of those He loved so that they might find life in Him. (Phil 2:6-8)

 

These are just a few of the many sacrifices that were made by Christ on our behalf.  And this is why His blood is described as “precious”, the cost upon Christ was great… so great that there is no work we can do, no possession we can give, that would begin to repay Him for the sacrifices He has made for His people (1 Pet 1:18-19).  Yet despite His great cost, He offers this redemption freely to any who might receive it through repentance and faith in Him and His work.

 

For those of us who are the recipients of His gracious, precious redemption let’s keep in mind… the extent of His sacrifices for us can never be fully comprehended this side of heaven.  Therefore, when He opens us an opportunity to give of ourselves for Him and those around us, let us joyfully do so realizing it is only reasonable that we do so (Heb 10:19-24).  We have been called to sacrifice ourselves for Him.

 

For those who have never partaken of His gracious redemption, please keep in mind, it is only through the graces of repentance (changing our mind about our sin and turning from that sin to Christ) and faith (believing on His person and trusting in His work) that we can have His redemption freely given to you… (Acts 3:19, John 3:16)

 

May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.

 

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

SIH Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/

SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com