LIFETIME ESSENTIALS

Again and Again

Acts 20:31 NIV
So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

Philippians 3:18 CSB
For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

2 Peter 1:12 NLT
Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught.

Saying, "I've already read the Bible from cover to cover" does not mean you already "know it all." Just like what Paul did, he NEVER stopped warning the people and teaching them the Word of God. That means people must always seek the Lord through His Word, and so continually be reminded of God's promises and His commands to live a holy and blameless life before God.

Food for Life

Remember what Jesus says:

John 4:34 NIV
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

John 6:51 NIV
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

We all know that food is a primary source of living. This is where we get all kinds of nutrients to help boost our immune system and allow us to fight against any kind of disease. The Word of God is likewise food for the body, soul and spirit.

Matthew 4:4 NIV
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Food is nourishing and much more is the food that comes from the Word of God. Food alone cannot satisfy our cravings. What God can give is much more satisfying and we can be in an overflow having more than enough. 

Grow, Grow, Grow

1 Peter 2:2 NIV
"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,"

NLT says: " so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation."

A baby cannot stop drinking milk until he is ready to eat solid food. A grown child into a full adult won't stop eating until the last day of his life. Even a bedridden who no longer has the ability to eat is still being supplied with nutrients and essentials that comes from food. So it is with our salvation. We cannot experience "full salvation" if we will stop making every effort to grow by being nourished in the Word of God. If you no longer the Bible, it's like ending your life without your neck on the rope.

1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

We are intended to GROW UP. The Word of God builds us both in the natural and the supernatural. When we receive salvation, we have been given the privilege to know more of the heavenly things - God's ways, His thoughts, His plans for us that are beyond  the imaginable. Our borders are extended, so we no longer live just for the sake of existence. We need to grow in our knowledge of God, knowing more than just the surface of the Book. 

Work Out 

Philippians 2:12 ESV
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

Paul reminds to "work out your own salvation". This means there should be an EFFORT. Just like planting a tree, you must do everything to grow it so that there will be a fruit at the time of harvest. Let's also be mindful that in bearing fruit, there are two conditions: a bad fruit or a good fruit. Jesus said that you cannot expect a tree to bear good fruit out of a bad tree, and a bad fruit from a good tree. NLT says: "Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear." Therefore, it is important how we live our lives as this builds our character. Whatever you do facing the mirror is what reflects on the other side of the surface.

When you dig deeper into the Bible, you can always hear God talking about CONSISTENCY. It's not enough to know Him just a little bit, but to strive to know MORE about Him so that you may be "full" of the knowledge of God. He wants us to be perfect just as He is perfect. We are still on our fragile state as a human being, and yet God reminds us that we are a work in progress. We are the clay and God is the Potter.