25 Days of Christmas - Day 24

25 Days of Christmas - Day 24

Ephesians 4:1-7; Day 24 wrap-up

v 1 ¶ I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
v 2 ¶ With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
v 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
v 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
v 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
v 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
v 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Yesterday my wife did an overview of the basic scriptures that we have endeavored to follow this past month to prepare us for the "exam" time which is rapidly overtaking us. Or as some might say she did a precritique of the "exam" to come. Like Cleft notes in collage you get the basic idea of the subject, but no details. We have tried to give to you insight {details} into these verses these past 22 days.

Prayerfully we have prepared you for the test ahead which boils down to these three words, forgiveness, healing, and love, most important being love.

Forgiveness and healing go hand in hand. You must ask your Father to forgive you before you can even forgive yourself. Forgiveness of ones self is a big deal because this starts the process by which impurities are removes from your soul. Impurities such as "lust", "envy", "anger", "bitterness" and "fear". We need to have these things cleansed from our lives before we can truly forgive another. Take a look at Luke 11:4 "And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to {sinned against} us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil." This is our Lord Jesus telling us to forgive and to forgive. Once you have truly forgiven someone with your heart and not just your mouth, our Father can begin your healing process. The healing of your spirit and of your soul. The Father will trample down the walls {like Jericho} that you have put up to protect your heart from anymore hurt. He will also let his glory shine into the deep dark recesses of your heart and your mind {soul}. Evil cannot stand light, and the glory of the Lord leaves no shadow for evil to take refuge in. This is all part of the healing process.

This leaves us with what we feel is the most important of all, love. Love of your Father for you {a familiar verse, John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."}. Could you sacrifice your son {or daughter} the way that God sacrificed his son? And what did the Father get in return, he got us, with all our dirt {sins}, faults, spots, and wrinkles. And all he wants from us is to love him in return. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have been commanded {Mark 12:30 & 31} "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."
"And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." Return to your father his love and to love your neighbour as yourself.

When we accomplish, forgiveness, healing, and love, not only is our Father pleased with us, but we are worshipping him in spirit and in truth.