May 15 , 2007

     Remember in Acts, chapter nine, when Paul the Apostle gets knocked off his high horse as he’s going to Damascus and he’s blind for three days?  Then God tells Ananias, “Go pray for this guy, Paul.”  And Ananias says, “Lord, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but this guy has actually come here to kill Christians like me.”

     Any time you have to explain more to the Lord so He’ll understand the situation, you’ve just reduced Him down to your level.  Don’t do that.  God is above your level. 

     If God asked you to do something and you’re thinking, “This is stupid,” …you’re stupid.  God knows everything.  He’s got it all figured out.  What does that song say?  He’s got the whole world in His hands.  And He wants you to believe Him and to act on that belief and to demonstrate that you have faith in Him.  And for that, He declares, “You’re righteous.”  It’s an act of faith.  In fact, John, after describing what Heaven looks like, tells us, “And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it (speaking of Heaven).  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” Revelation 21:26-27  In other words, God has standards and His standard is holiness in the Lord.

     Remember, you are damaged goods.  You were born a sinner.  And God has standards and His standard is holiness in the Lord.  Listen to what He says in Isaiah 57:15, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy (that’s God); I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit (That means you can’t be haughty or proud), to revive the spirit of the humble, and (notice His purpose for living in a high and holy place with the humble and contrite) to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” 

     God is saying, “I am the high and holy one and I live in eternity, but I’ll only live with those with true humility - men and women who are contrite and humble in spirit.  And my work will be to revive you.”

     As I said, we’re born in sin.  We’re damaged goods.  We need to be healed.  We need to be saved.  We need to be restored.  We need to be sanctified.  And now we learn that we need to be different than we are – that God will live with us in eternity as long as we meet His standards.

     How do we become men and women how are contrite and humble in spirit?  We have to be broken.  We have to surrender to God and to understand that He is omnipotent.  He is omniscient.  He is omnipresent.  We have to have faith!

     And how do we get faith?  Read your Bible.  Read your Bible.  Read it everyday because God tells us, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  Romans 10:17

May The Lord Jesus Christ Be Magnified!

Pastor Leo A. Giovinetti

lley Christian Fellowship