R.H. Hitchcock
June 2000
Sugar Land, Texas USA
Being God'sBest
In order to be God's best, we have two things to do: Believe that God is Who He says He is, and Believe that we are who God says we are. The Christian walk is not about doing works to obtain, but about walking in what God has already worked in us in the new birth.
We can trust God's Word completely; it reveals to us the Nature of God-- what He says He can and will do for His people. This is our starting point.God's Word also reveals to us, especially in the 7 Church Epistles, our new Nature in Christ -- what God says we can and should do in order to live in fellowship with Him and our family.
Mal 3:6
6 For I am the LORD, I change not; thereforeye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
God has always been Who He says He is. God is Love:He has always been Love.God is Good: He has always beenGood (and always will be Good.) God is Light, and in Him is no darkness atall: God is not capable of darkness. God is righteous. God is just. God ismerciful. God is peace. God is not a man that He should lie. What He saysabout Himself in His Word reveals to us His nature, and that nature cannotchange.
Jer 32:27
27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh:is there any thing too hard for me?
God's ability is unquestionable. He Created the heavens and the earth.He made, formed and created man. He put the stars and planets in their courses.He made all life and by Him all things exist.
He delivered Israel out of Egypt with the parting of the Red Sea. He deliveredJericho into the hands of Israel when He caused the wall to fall down. Hediscomfitted the enemies of Israel with insects and the sounds of horses.He delivered a large army to Gideon, a single man leading a handful of men.Record after record in God's Word reminds us of His ability and His willingnessto fight for His people.
Isa 48:17
17 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy Oneof Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeththee by the way that thou shouldest go.
God is personally interested in Blessing His people. He is the One Whoteaches us to profit and that leads us in the right paths. How importantis it to believe that and to see it happen in our lives?
Jer 9:24
24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, thathe understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exerciselovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these thingsI delight, saith the LORD.
The greatest knowledge on earth is the knowledge of God by His Word. Whenpeople obtain this knowledge, then they become aware of God's Goodness andGrace and they begin to understand and to know the God who exerciseslovingkindness, judgment and righteousness. It's this knowledge and thisunderstanding that bears the true riches of life.
Ps 3:3
3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory,and the lifter up of mine head.
Ps 18:35
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation:and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made megreat.
Ps 91:4
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and underhis wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield andbuckler.
God is our Shield and our Buckler. He lifts up our heads when we are down.He holds us up, and His gentleness has made us great! He covers us with Hisfeathers and under His wings do we trust!
There are so many, many scriptures that reveal to us the Nature of God.His Word tells us Who He is, and what we can expect from Him.
Rom 2:4
4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness andforbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeththee to repentance?
God's Goodness is never something to be underestimated. No man will everbe good enough to be able to earn his salvation. No man will ever be goodenough to even approach the Throne of God, much less have his petitions grantedbecause of his own works.
The Goodness of God is appropriated by one thing only, and that is believingGod's Word.
What does God's Word say about our New Nature and our abilities inChrist?
Eph 1:1-7
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will ofGod, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in ChristJesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father,and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord JesusChrist, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly placesin Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before thefoundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame beforehim in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of childrenby Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of hiswill,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, whereinhe hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood,the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
We have received Grace and we have received Peace. We are at peace withGod (we were at odds.)
We have already been blessed with all spiritual blessings. That is allanyone is ever going to receive and we have it already! These spiritual blessingsinclude our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption. These spiritualblessings include our sonship rights, our access to God, our ability to operatethe power of the gift of holy spirit. These spiritual blessings include ourguarantee of the inheritance in Christ and our gathering together unto him.We certainly have no lack of blessings, do we?
We have been chosen. We are holy and without blame before Him in love.We are accepted in the beloved. This is Why we are God's best. How do weoperate these attributes in our lives? Simply by believing that weare what God says we are and that we can do what God says we can do. We arewho God says we are. There is nothing more to receive, and there is nothingmore for us to do in order to obtain more blessings. What is left to do isto walk in all that God has made us to be. To believe God's Word -- thisis how we will see it all come into fruition.
Eph 2:6
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sittogether in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:10
10 For we are his workmanship, created in ChristJesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walkin them.
We are seated in the heavenlies. Some important individuals have a seaton the NYSE or perhaps have a seat in parliament, Congress or the PresidentialCabinet. We have a seat at the Right Hand of God in Christ Jesus. Prettyimpressive nameplate on your door and desk!
Col 2:10
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the headof all principality and power:
Complete is, of course, complete. Something is not complete until it is100% done. I have projects at my home that I have been working on for 5 years,and they are still not 100% done! God did a complete job in the new nature,and we are completely, completely, absolutely complete in Christ spiritually.
Rom 8:37
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerorsthrough him that loved us.
Life may have its ups, and life may have its downs, but through it allthe hand of God will sustain us. Remember the shield? Remember the buckler?We have more ability and greater access in the new birth than Israel evereven imagined. We are more than conquerors.
I Jn 3:1-2
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowedupon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knowethus not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it dothnot 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.
We are complete now, but it does not yet appear what we shall be. Whenthe trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more...When theroll is called up yonder I'll be there!
We are the sons of God NOW. But something even GREATER is coming, andthat is the Gathering Together when all who have believed will be changedand we will begin our Eternal life together in the heavenlies. What a joyand what a hope we have in Christ!
I Jn 4:17
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we mayhave boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in thisworld.
This is our call to live in this world: that AS HE IS, so are we in thisworld. We can walk like he walked. We can talk like he talked. We can servelike he served. We can do what he did: it's Christ in us the hope of Glory.
We can believe God's Word concerning our Father and His nature and Hispromises to us. We can believe God's Word concerning our new Nature and whatwe have been blessed by. We can do what God's Word says we can do.