Bible in One Year:
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
(1 Pet 3 - 1 Pet 5)

Memorise: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 Jn 3:2)

Read: 1 John 3:1-3
1 ¶ Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

One thing patriarchs of old have craved is to see God. Anyone who became outstanding in his or her generation in Bible days wanted to see or to know God. God's ultimate reward to those who seek and serve Him out of a pure heart is that on the last day they will see Him. The most important thing about seeing God is that it makes us like Him. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 Jn 3:2). The more of God you envision, the more like Him you become. Why do you think Hebrews 12:2 asks you to look unto Him? It is so that you can become like Him: What you see affects what you are and shapes you into a mould for the future. If your eyes are always glued to the television set, home video, movies etc., they will be packaging you for the earth. But if you regularly watch spiritual movies through the Bible, you will be packaged for the heavenly Kingdom. A day is coming when every bit of us will be like Jesus. When the Lord took Peter, James and John to the mount of Transfiguration, He showed them a bit of His glory. When the trio saw this, they were ready to turn that spot unto their permanent residence. If you want to be like Jesus, you will purify yourself and be as pure as He is - in thoughts, words, deeds, plans, etc. Afterall, Hebrews 12:14 says without holiness, no one can see God. In this sense, holiness is a magnifying glass you must look through before seeing Him. 

Prosperity is good but not the ultimate. Prosperity without holiness makes you a ram for the slaughter slab. The Creator of the Heavens says if you must enter Heaven, you must totally shun compromise. You may consider His standard too high but that is His standard. You cannot entice, force or bribe Him to accept your standard or anyone else's. You either accept His conditions for Heaven, or go and look for another heaven - a fake alternative. If you want to live holy, you can. All you need do is discipline yourself in line with God's Word. The average person who has problems with adultery would say holiness is not possible. Some people have told me that I cannot see what is going on because I am a pastor. But I tell them, ' No matter how hungry you are , when you get to the dining table and find the dish contains faeces, you will suddenly lose appetite'. If you have not lost appetite for sinful relationship with the opposite sex, you are not prepared to see God. 

ACTION POINT:
Father, help me to kill every ungodly desire of my heart. Fill me with Heavenly thoughts.