Ephesians 3:17-19 English Standard Version

¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

I will routinely receive software upgrades to my computer and phone. They are compatible with the system I am running and make it run better and safer. The upgrades are sent by the authors of those systems.

Hebrews 1:2 English Standard Version (ESV) but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Our creator has been appointed heir to the Kingdom and as such sends us software upgrades to improve performance and security. It is His system and He is the only authorized software dealer.

Like any system operator we must click on the link to install the updates. Just like my PC or phone, I might be using it at the time and want to put off the upgrades until I find a convenient time.

Considering that His timing is always perfect, putting off software upgrades might not be in our best interest. He does all things with purpose and that purpose will always be to improve our performance and security.

Do not neglect our personal studies. Yes we can learn much in group studies but it is those personal studies of His Word that our heart conditions are upgraded and performance is improved.

Taking care of ourselves is what makes us helpful to others.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 English Standard Version

Godlessness in the Last Days

3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

That is a long list of really ugly behavior. Some will do anything not to be seen as having any of those qualities. They will fixate on demonstrating the power. If they do not deny the power, they will have the power and the power becomes everything. If they have the power then they are not found in that list above.

How is that power demonstrated? Some will say you must speak in tongues. If you do not you are not saved. Some fancy the idea of handling poisonous snakes. That is insane but people have done it to prove something to themselves. Reckless is on the list and that is reckless. In some cases they become proud and arrogant in that pursuit and deny their own condition.

So what is this power that they seek but do not understand?

Romans 1:16 English Standard Version

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,

The gospel has the power to save mankind from all those ugly truths about those conditions listed. The gospel is simple, too simple for some who deny its power to change them. Being arrogant some want to add the power to what they are without changing the inner man. That is not power, that is delusion.

Accept the gospel, take it to heart, and then see what the power of God can do to change that heart.