Devotions 21-11-06

II Cor 7;1-3
"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one. I do not speak to condemn you; for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together."

There is sure a lot of thoughts in this brief passage and I am not going to cover it fully but point out some key areas I see. The first, is the responsibility I have to cleanse my life of defilement of the flesh and spirit. God does the cleansing but I must do the confessing and turning from those things that will defile me. There is a matter of obedience to God's Word that I must do. In doing this I perfect by God's grace holiness in my life through my fear or deep reverence of God.

The second thought is what I shared yesterday on being open hearted to each other. Do we really love each other and are we ready to live together and to die together. I think I am ready to do this but I am not sure if this is in the thoughts of others that much. I am not sure we are teaching this truth to others that much.
It is this commitment to each other that gives us the strength and courage to battle the enemy and to fight for the souls of men and women.

Lord, I thank you for those You have given me over the years that do have such a like heartedness. I have been able to keep serving because of Your people who love me and stand with me through good times and hard times. Lord, continue to give me the strength and the holiness of character to teach others this important truth from Your Word. To You belongs all the Glory and Honor.