Pilgrims In a Strange Land

“Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever. For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die. The godly will possess the land and will live there forever. The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path. The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them. But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial. Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed. I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil. But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them! Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future. The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble. The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:27-40‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Godly. This word is rooted in God! In practical terms it is defined as demonstrating character that portrays the nature of God! God is holy!!!This means He is perfect and pure!!! There is no unrighteousness in Him!!! He is absent of sin!!!!!!! Only He is Holy! Jesus, who is the visible image of the unseen God, manifested God to us in the form of a human.  “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.” ‭‭John‬ ‭14:9-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬Jesus came to sinful, fallen humanity to manifest the very likeness of God to man. He lived a sinless life, died on a Roman cross to pay sins debt, and offers salvation to all who trust in Him! In Jesus Christ, the believer is made holy in the sight of God. Only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can we be made right with God, be saved, and have the image of God restored to our lives (see Romans 5:1). In Genesis 1:26 we are told that God made man in His image.  Consider these two things: 1. Man was made holy and without sin. Our nature (character) was like that of God!  Let me be abundantly clear here. We were not God, nor will we ever be God! We were made by God to experience Him!  2. Man man was made with a spirit, soul, and body.  (see I Thessalonians 5:23). Like God, we are three in one (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - One God). We are spirit, soul, and body. Our body was made to be the vessel in which our spirit and soul would dwell. Our body was the structure that facilitated the other two. Our soul was created as our mind, will, and emotions. In this way we would be able to think, determine, and experience life. We are relational and creative. Our spirit was the very life (breath) of God within us.  Something happened to distort these things. Man fell to sin (see Genesis 3:1-7). When we fell, our spirit was immediately corrupted and we became filled with darkness. We were no longer holy. Our ability to live out the godly life that God had given us was altered. Our minds became dark, our will became rebellious, and our experience of life became perverted. Although we, innately, know that there is right and wrong, we now battle with the consequences of sin. We are prone to depravity.  Our home, earth, was overtaken by Satan and his minions when we disobeyed God's command of Genesis 2:15-17. In Genesis 3, we forfeited the domain into his hands. We are now in bondage to sin and ungodliness. The only way out is through Jesus Christ! In Him we are made right with God (see John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:8-10). When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we experience a reconciliation. We are reinstated to a right relationship with God! Through the person and power of the Holy Spirit we can now live godly lives and wait until the restoration of all things (see Galatians 5:16).  We now live in a land that is terrorized by sin. We live in a land that is under a curse. However, there is coming a day when the children of God will reign once again on this earth as the kings and priests of Almighty God!  “And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭5:9-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This restoration and reigning will take place after Christ returns and the earth is remade  (see 2 Peter 3:10-15 and Revelation 19-21).  Saints of God, our day is coming. One day, the wicked will be destroyed and the children of God will finally be home where they belong. Right now, we are sojourners. We are pilgrims in a strange land.  Let's keep our eyes on home, the eternal heaven! 
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