Relentless Pt. 7

We have been talking about the world’s need to see us as relentless Christians. I said at the end of my last “relentless” post that a young friend would be writing about being relentless in ministry. Well he is still working on his post so we are going to move relentlessly on to the subject of being relentless in righteousness! I will come back to the idea of relentless ministry in the posts to come. For now if you need to catch up…

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/20/relentless-pt-6/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/relentless-pt-5/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/relentless-pt-4/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/relentless-pt-3/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/3445/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/relentless-pt-1/

                We have to be relentless in righteousness. Paul wrote, “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” I Cor. 9:27

He wasn’t talking about self-abuse. He was talking about making the body, which wants nothing more than to sin,  obey God and refuse sin!

To the Romans He wrote:  “For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.” Rom 6:9-13

And the writer to the Hebrews tells us this: “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.” Heb. 12:12-16

Church we are being called to a greater level of righteousness and holiness. The time for greasy grace has come and gone just as the time for legalistic holiness has come and gone. Now it is time for the ministry of reconciliation to come into play. It is time for people to walk the pathways of restoration and when they fall to rise again and press forward into ever-deepening righteousness!