The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Gift of an Opportunity, #5

True faith always recognizes that the Christian redemption is an opportunity for glory. Salvation never is handed to us apart from true faith, the faith that works through obedience to the written Word and to the personally revealed Word of God.

Salvation always is an opportunity, an access, an authority, an invitation to drink of Christ's Virtue. We must ask and continue asking. We must seek and continue seeking. We must knock and continue knocking.

In the Kingdom of God there are seasons of refreshing and restoration (Acts 3:19-21). It is up to us to act in faith while the waters are troubled, so to speak. If we do we will gain the glory of the Kingdom of God. If we do not the glory will pass us by. Our destiny is determined by how we respond to the Lord's invitation.

When we receive the Lord Jesus Christ, placing our faith and trust in Him for salvation, righteousness is ascribed to us by the Lord. Also, the door to eternal life and glory is opened to us. How much eternal life and glory we gain depends on the faith and diligence we apply to seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Eternal life is not imputed to us, it must be attained.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. (I Timothy 6:12)

For he [the believer] that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:22)

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection [Greek, out-resurrection] of the dead. (Philippians 3:10,11)

The fruit of the Spirit is not ascribed to us, it must be grown with patience.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (II Peter 1:5-8)

We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit until these virtues abound in us. Otherwise, we run the risk of being "barren and unfruitful" in the knowledge of Christ.

Eternal life, the resurrection from the dead, the fruit of the Spirit, which is the moral image of Christ (that to which we have been predestined—Romans 8:29), are all opportunities. Our inheritance in the Lord Jesus cannot be received without a consistent seeking of it.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ. (Philippians 3:12)

To be continued.