God tells us to be holy as He is holy. Holy mackerel! Most of us are scared off by that statement because we know we are far from holy! But be of good cheer…God has made a way for us. First, that way is through Jesus. We must submit our hearts and lives to Jesus  and ask Him to come “inside” of us and not just remain a religious idea on the “outside”.

The pursuit of holiness does not end there. We must strive and seek God’s directions for all the avenues of our lives, so He may complete His good work in us.

Remember, originally, man was created with faith, hope and love ruling him. By Adam’s sin, death then entered in and changed that perfect nature. That perfect faith (belief/binding); that perfect hope (happy expectation of good) and that perfect love (1 Corinthians 13 type, that is), were changed to a primal mind, will and emotions.

Seek God to have His way fill you and fix your “stinking thinking” back to faith; change the demanding will back to hope, and change the roller coaster ride of emotions back to love.

It is hard to change, but God has made the way…take it! “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22) Endure the fire—it’s producing pure gold!

What a wonderful and holy God we serve. He is eager to bless us. Many will miss those blessings, though, because of their personal insistence on their viewpoint of God. What they forget is that God’s ways are not our ways. Mankind tends to choose a path that seems right to them, but the end of it is death.

Why then are we so stubborn, so foolish to pursue what and how we think in the face of such wondrous truth and direction from God? We should ambitiously seek God to completely renovate, remodel and reconstruct how we think and about what we think. God will surely do it because He loves His children.

Continue to submit to God, fight every thought, word and deed that does not measure up to God’s direction. Maintain moral excellence, not moral excuses, and rejoice in the golden work of God for His blessings are perfect! Endure the fire—it’s producing pure gold!

Many wonderful things are happening in God’s great plan. We are growing in His grace and wisdom. Many people are changing from lives of “stinkin’ thinkin’” to full lives, ready to serve God in all aspects of their existence. Many are giving up sinful habits and living styles and are coming to the Lord in a proper manner as He has decreed. We are learning to give more freely and abundantly of our money, our time and our talents. God is also showing many individuals and families a deeper wisdom in the management of their finances (pay close attention to that one folks!). And may we never stop thanking the Lord for the salvation of so many of our young ones and the manifestation of God’s presence in their lives.

It is too easy to be irritated or frustrated with the things in our lives that are not “fixed” yet. Rather, let us always look to the Lord in humble submission and gratitude for what He has done for us. If we ever forget, then let us ask Him to remind us of the great rescues and blessings He has bestowed on each one of us. Be in prayer for God’s leadership to guide us on this wonderful journey to serve God and to “seek and save the lost”. There is much to be done. Stay alert. Sharpen your sword in the Word of the Lord! Endure the fire—it’s producing pure gold!

How far are you willing to walk with God – a Sunday stroll’s worth? Or are you willing to go the whole grueling distance? If the footmen have tired you out, how can you compete with the horsemen? (Jeremiah 12:5)

It is a vain dream for anyone to think he can do what God asks without going through God’s training program. Training requires discipline, sacrifice, time and money as well as excellent instruction and examples of those who are good at the task. No one can become a good husband and father, or wife and mother or morally excellent citizen, good student, honest businessman or co-worker, or be patient, loving, generous, pure, etc., without training.

Put in the discipline to control your mind, your will and your emotions. Make the sacrifice to serve others first and give up your own convenience. Put the time into going to church, Bible study and men’s and women’s meetings and the like. Put your money where your morals are! Generously support your church and its ministries and give to other good works as God shows you. Don’t just support these things with your mouth – pull out your wallet and your calendar!

Pour over the Bible and other rich Christian-based materials and follow the examples of Jesus and the other good saints who followed Jesus’ example, back then and now. Keep running well and train constantly so you can finish the race and receive the prize. Don’t be deceived! Just like in a marathon…you can sign up for the race, pay the fee, wear the clothes and show up for the race looking exactly like everyone else. But if you haven’t trained, you will drop out every time until you do it God’s way. “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) Endure the fire—it’s producing pure gold!