But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,

     a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies

     of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

     for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God;

     you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (I Peter 2:9-10).

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Several years ago Mahesh Chavda gave me the book, D-Day by Stephen Ambrose, stating that he thought it contained a message for me. It did. In fact, I think it contains a crucial message for the church in our time.

 

Even the Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin, acknowledged that the Allied invasion of Europe on D-Day was one of the most extraordinary human accomplishments in history.

Because Robert E. Lee esteemed loyalty to his native state of Virginia above some of the basic principles he believed, his misplaced loyalty cost multitudes their lives. Many Christians likewise justify their actions, which are in basic conflict with the Scriptures and the nature of the Lord they claim to serve by esteeming loyalty to their nation, denomination, or other institution, above the basic principles of the faith.

 

This is not to in any way imply that loyalty to our nation, denomination, or even our company, is wrong.

Recently, I felt compelled to read the memoirs of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee. He is considered to be one of the greatest military leaders of all time, as well as one of the most truly noble in character to have been produced by this country. In many ways, he demonstrated remarkable graciousness and nobility of character, which actually caused him to be almost as beloved in the North as he was in the South after the Civil War.

Another remarkable characteristic about Enoch is that he is the first one recorded in Scripture to have prophesied (see Jude 14). Prophecy is a definite product of walking with God. When we walk with God, so that we are changed into His image, we will begin to see with His eyes, hear with His ears, and understand with His heart. God is beyond time. He sees from the perspective of eternity. To Him the future is just as clear as the present.

One of the shortest, but most remarkable stories in Scripture is found in Genesis 5:22-24:

The true gospel of the kingdom is a presentation of the King through His people. We read in II Corinthians 3:18, "But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."

 

 

It is by beholding the Lord, and seeing His glory that we are transformed. However, we must do this with an "unveiled face." What does this mean?

There is an important question that many ask which seems appropriate to address here. Does the Lord make us into what we should be, or does the bride "make herself ready"? There is sound biblical teaching that reveals both to be true. When we run into paradoxes like this in Scripture it is because there is truth to both. In fact, many of the historic heresies are the result of Christians embracing a truth without understanding and embracing the counterbalancing truth.

On Day Twenty-Two we looked at the remarkable statement that Peter made when he said we should be "looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God...." (II Peter 3:12). We discussed how the "coming of the day of the Lord" can be hastened by the bride making herself ready (see Revelation 19:7).