Mar 13:8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
Throughout history nations have risen against nations.
Throughout history kingdoms have risen against kingdoms.
Throughout history earthquakes have occurred in different places.
Throughout history there have been famines.
Throughout history there have been troubles.
So how do we know?
Mar 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
Again history is filled with such delivering. Even today people are delivered before courts for their faith and sentenced to death. Perhaps not in the United States and other so call free countries, but in many countries around the world people are even now being delivered to their fates before the leadership.
Mar 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
This has been done hasn't it? There isn't a remote area in our world that has been left untouched by missionaries bringing the gospel to people. No, not all will accept the gospel, the majority won't, but the gospel will be made known. Just because something is published doesn't mean it will be accepted.
We see signs as they have seen signs throughout history.
Luk 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Undisputed fact- Jerusalem the Holy City didn't become the capital of Israel until 1980.
Israel enshrined the status of the "complete and united" Jerusalem—west and east—as its capital, in the 1980 Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel.
Source- "Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1980-07-30. http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1980_1989/Basic%20Law-%20Jerusalem-%20Capital%20of%20Israel. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
Jerusalem was trodden down of the Gentiles, controlled by Gentiles for years and returned to Israel's control 'complete and united' in 1980.
1980
We were given a sign that people can't twist and in some cases rightly so by saying it's been this way throughout history. Throughout history Jerusalem wasn't in Israel's control, but rather in the Gentiles. What does this say to us all?
For the last 30 years we've been living closer to the time of Jesus' second coming than ever before.
So while the various natural disasters occur all around us and people continue to murmur about the signs of the times and others scoff, we have to remember one thing- no matter what happens that cause people to wake up to their mortality - whether it's a disaster, or just every day life- it will forever be just if we take from the tragedies of life a warning to open our eyes and hearts to the only truth in life which is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior who became man and defeated sin and death, dying Himself to save us from our sins so that we might have life eternal in Him when He returns. We can find solace in Christ alone. No one welcomes tragedies, large or small, but life is filled with them. May our hearts and eyes be opened to the love of Christ, the love of God, the love of the Holy Spirit now and forever.
Amen.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
'He makes, we are made.'
'He makes, we are made.' The Problem of Pain - C.S. Lewis
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ('He makes')
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ('we are made.')
'He is original, we are derivative.' The Problem of Pain- C.S. Lewis
derivative (Copied or adapted from others)
Gen 1:27 '...in the image of God created he him...' Adapted from another- adapted from God's image.
'But at the same time, and for the same reason, the intimacy between God and even the meanest creature is closer than any that creatures can attain with one another.' The Problem of Pain- C.S. Lewis
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Means to me:
The intimacy of Creator and creature will forever be more intimate than any intimacy between a creature and creature. No creature knows of themselves as the creator of the creature knows them. All creators know their creations so much more intimately than any other could. The process of the creation alone brings something no one can imitate. Another could take apart an original creation and know how to put it back together but it's not the same at all as the creator in making the creation, it can't be. So while we as creatures believe we know one another because we are a creature, we even say who better to understand than one of our own kind, but I say God better understands, the Creator better understands us than we can possibly imagine. As strange as it might seem, as often as we question God's judgment and ability to understand, as often as we rail against Him accusing Him of not being able to understand us, we are fools because the Creator understands us better than we can ever understand ourselves.
God is Spirit and He made us spirit bound by flesh. The flesh part of us we understand- the baser nature we mostly understand I should say. We can empathize with each others pleasures and pains if we've felt them ourselves even minutely. The spirit within us is God's connection to us. Our Creator created within us a part He alone can fully commune with. When we turn away from God we reject the spirit. When we turn to another creature hoping they can fill that spirit need in us, they fall far short...far, far short.
Forever, as C.S. Lewis writes- 'The intimacy between God and even the meanest creature is closer than any that creatures can attain with one another.' While we foolishly keep believing we will find a completeness in a relationship with another human being it will never attain the closeness we can attain in a relationship with God. We might think for a short period in time we have that perhaps in a marriage, but we don't, not really. No other person can fully understand us as God can, none no matter how hard they try and they have tried and keep on trying. We've thousands of books on the subject, we have a whole professional field all about trying to understand each other- psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, these fields delve into the human being in various ways and ultimately it is all about trying to understand what makes us tick emotionally, mentally, socially. The quest to understand each other is something that will never end and while there isn't anything wrong with trying, it's knowing that we can never understand the way God does that matters most. It's giving our Creator His due as our Creator. He wasn't a child playing with a lump of clay who holds up the squished ball of goo and says, 'Look what I made!', and that child has no more concept of what they've really made than the person looking at it. Oh they might say it's Daddy, and believe it is in their niavity but that child doesn't even know what makes up the clay they've used to squish into a vaguely human shape. God not only knows the composition of the clay, He created the clay to use to make man. That child playing with clay didn't create the clay, he didn't even create the dirt or the water used to make the clay. God is the Creator fully, in all ways.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
We are mere children toying with clay as we try to understand all there is to understand especially in the spiritual realm of our being. We can't create spirit, even if we can take clay and form an image and as some are trying to do- give it life artificial or not. We cannot create a spirit even if we can regrow animal parts in experiments and hope to regrow human parts from stem cells and such. We cannot create a spirit even if we put a sperm cell and an egg cell together and create a growing human baby. God alone, our Creator alone has the knowledge to create us as He does and to understand us as He alone can.
What God does is tells us to love one another as we love ourselves, meaning how we would be loved by others, only then do we really love someone- loving them as we would be loved, not as we are loved by others.
God is trying to teach us an important lesson here, very important. While we will never have the closeness with each other that He can have with us if we allow, we can love-- something that is unique from God-love. We can love each other and treat each other with love even when we don't understand or even like each other. Loving someone is a unique gift we have to offer. God allows us to love under the most horrific of circumstances. If you love someone who hates you they can't stop your love. They can never stop you from loving them. They can try even through torture, but they can't force you to ever stop loving them. Some might say they can't stop you from hating them either and that is true, but hating isn't of God. Hating hurts the hater even more than the one they hate. Love never hurts the one doing the loving- and I'm not saying love doesn't hurt, but if it's a love stemming from the love of God in us, it won't hurt us even if the one we love hurts us. The song, 'Love Hurts', is true to a point. Selfish love hurts. When we lose those we love we feel the pain of their loss, but most times people would never have traded the love they had with that person even knowing the pain it will ultimately bring. Yes, we hear people say as relationships end, 'I wish I never knew you!' And yet that sort of love isn't God's love. That love is wrapped up in a self-serving way. Yes, easy for me to say all this, but it's true. We are soooooo self-centered that all that matters to us is our own pain the heck with trying to understand anything beyond our own feelings. I hurt and that's that, nothing can change that so there. Pure selfishness. I know of where I speak, I've been caught up in that same hurt hundreds of times in my life. I know the pain in myself, I've seen it in others. It's a real pain, loving someone you open yourself up to being rejected by that person whether its a friendship relationship or more. Rejection hurts a lot and why, because who ever wants to be rejected? Even Christ felt the pain of rejection, though His was beyond ours so far that it's incomprehensible. He felt the rejection of the love He had to bring to people, He sorrowed over their loss because He didn't want to lose them eternally. He sorrowed with a Creator's sorrow. Our creature sorrow is just a tiny fraction of such love. We don't want to lose those we love by rejection or any other way, it pains us, the loss, the emptiness that loss results in, in our lives. Through it all we can continue to love, or we can choose to hate. Which would God have us do? Love. Loving someone and always wishing the best for them as you would wish for yourself is truly a gift from God. May God grant us the ability to truly love as He would have us love.
Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Love God
Love Man
Love.
To love you must believe. You must have someone or something to believe in to love that someone or something. Does anyone love nothing? Isn't that impossible? Loving means having something to love. If you have something to love you believe that something exists. No wonder we are told this--
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Once we believe, we can love.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior, all glory and honor, all praise to our Creator the maker of heaven and earth and all that is in them. Thank you Lord for Your love. Help us to love as You would have us love. Help our unbelief, increase our faith all through the Comforter You've sent to dwell with us, in us. Through Your righteousness and none of our own, now and forever in Christ Jesus.
Amen
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ('He makes')
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ('we are made.')
'He is original, we are derivative.' The Problem of Pain- C.S. Lewis
derivative (Copied or adapted from others)
Gen 1:27 '...in the image of God created he him...' Adapted from another- adapted from God's image.
'But at the same time, and for the same reason, the intimacy between God and even the meanest creature is closer than any that creatures can attain with one another.' The Problem of Pain- C.S. Lewis
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Means to me:
The intimacy of Creator and creature will forever be more intimate than any intimacy between a creature and creature. No creature knows of themselves as the creator of the creature knows them. All creators know their creations so much more intimately than any other could. The process of the creation alone brings something no one can imitate. Another could take apart an original creation and know how to put it back together but it's not the same at all as the creator in making the creation, it can't be. So while we as creatures believe we know one another because we are a creature, we even say who better to understand than one of our own kind, but I say God better understands, the Creator better understands us than we can possibly imagine. As strange as it might seem, as often as we question God's judgment and ability to understand, as often as we rail against Him accusing Him of not being able to understand us, we are fools because the Creator understands us better than we can ever understand ourselves.
God is Spirit and He made us spirit bound by flesh. The flesh part of us we understand- the baser nature we mostly understand I should say. We can empathize with each others pleasures and pains if we've felt them ourselves even minutely. The spirit within us is God's connection to us. Our Creator created within us a part He alone can fully commune with. When we turn away from God we reject the spirit. When we turn to another creature hoping they can fill that spirit need in us, they fall far short...far, far short.
Forever, as C.S. Lewis writes- 'The intimacy between God and even the meanest creature is closer than any that creatures can attain with one another.' While we foolishly keep believing we will find a completeness in a relationship with another human being it will never attain the closeness we can attain in a relationship with God. We might think for a short period in time we have that perhaps in a marriage, but we don't, not really. No other person can fully understand us as God can, none no matter how hard they try and they have tried and keep on trying. We've thousands of books on the subject, we have a whole professional field all about trying to understand each other- psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, these fields delve into the human being in various ways and ultimately it is all about trying to understand what makes us tick emotionally, mentally, socially. The quest to understand each other is something that will never end and while there isn't anything wrong with trying, it's knowing that we can never understand the way God does that matters most. It's giving our Creator His due as our Creator. He wasn't a child playing with a lump of clay who holds up the squished ball of goo and says, 'Look what I made!', and that child has no more concept of what they've really made than the person looking at it. Oh they might say it's Daddy, and believe it is in their niavity but that child doesn't even know what makes up the clay they've used to squish into a vaguely human shape. God not only knows the composition of the clay, He created the clay to use to make man. That child playing with clay didn't create the clay, he didn't even create the dirt or the water used to make the clay. God is the Creator fully, in all ways.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
We are mere children toying with clay as we try to understand all there is to understand especially in the spiritual realm of our being. We can't create spirit, even if we can take clay and form an image and as some are trying to do- give it life artificial or not. We cannot create a spirit even if we can regrow animal parts in experiments and hope to regrow human parts from stem cells and such. We cannot create a spirit even if we put a sperm cell and an egg cell together and create a growing human baby. God alone, our Creator alone has the knowledge to create us as He does and to understand us as He alone can.
What God does is tells us to love one another as we love ourselves, meaning how we would be loved by others, only then do we really love someone- loving them as we would be loved, not as we are loved by others.
God is trying to teach us an important lesson here, very important. While we will never have the closeness with each other that He can have with us if we allow, we can love-- something that is unique from God-love. We can love each other and treat each other with love even when we don't understand or even like each other. Loving someone is a unique gift we have to offer. God allows us to love under the most horrific of circumstances. If you love someone who hates you they can't stop your love. They can never stop you from loving them. They can try even through torture, but they can't force you to ever stop loving them. Some might say they can't stop you from hating them either and that is true, but hating isn't of God. Hating hurts the hater even more than the one they hate. Love never hurts the one doing the loving- and I'm not saying love doesn't hurt, but if it's a love stemming from the love of God in us, it won't hurt us even if the one we love hurts us. The song, 'Love Hurts', is true to a point. Selfish love hurts. When we lose those we love we feel the pain of their loss, but most times people would never have traded the love they had with that person even knowing the pain it will ultimately bring. Yes, we hear people say as relationships end, 'I wish I never knew you!' And yet that sort of love isn't God's love. That love is wrapped up in a self-serving way. Yes, easy for me to say all this, but it's true. We are soooooo self-centered that all that matters to us is our own pain the heck with trying to understand anything beyond our own feelings. I hurt and that's that, nothing can change that so there. Pure selfishness. I know of where I speak, I've been caught up in that same hurt hundreds of times in my life. I know the pain in myself, I've seen it in others. It's a real pain, loving someone you open yourself up to being rejected by that person whether its a friendship relationship or more. Rejection hurts a lot and why, because who ever wants to be rejected? Even Christ felt the pain of rejection, though His was beyond ours so far that it's incomprehensible. He felt the rejection of the love He had to bring to people, He sorrowed over their loss because He didn't want to lose them eternally. He sorrowed with a Creator's sorrow. Our creature sorrow is just a tiny fraction of such love. We don't want to lose those we love by rejection or any other way, it pains us, the loss, the emptiness that loss results in, in our lives. Through it all we can continue to love, or we can choose to hate. Which would God have us do? Love. Loving someone and always wishing the best for them as you would wish for yourself is truly a gift from God. May God grant us the ability to truly love as He would have us love.
Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Love God
Love Man
Love.
To love you must believe. You must have someone or something to believe in to love that someone or something. Does anyone love nothing? Isn't that impossible? Loving means having something to love. If you have something to love you believe that something exists. No wonder we are told this--
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Once we believe, we can love.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior, all glory and honor, all praise to our Creator the maker of heaven and earth and all that is in them. Thank you Lord for Your love. Help us to love as You would have us love. Help our unbelief, increase our faith all through the Comforter You've sent to dwell with us, in us. Through Your righteousness and none of our own, now and forever in Christ Jesus.
Amen
Friday, February 26, 2010
Light of Life
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
In Jesus was life.
The life was the light of men.
The light shines in darkness.
Jesus shines in darkness.
The life shines in darkness.
Darkness comprehended it not.
Darkness doesn't comprehend Jesus.
If Jesus is light, what is dark?
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil- evil = darkness.
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Jesus is the light of life, evil is the darkness of death. Right? It stands to reason doesn't it? Jesus represents all that is pure and good and He is the light of life. Evil represents all that is bad and is the darkness of death. But hold on... I'm talking of the second death, not the first. The first death is the result of the first sin when God told Adam and Eve if they ate of the Tree of Life they would surely die. The second death is the permanent death without hope of a resurrection in Jesus. The first death is a sleep until Christ returns and the dead in Christ shall rise to life eternal in Him. Those that aren't among the dead in Christ or those alive in Christ when He returns will face the second death- death eternal and that is the evil, the darkness of death whereas Jesus is the Light of Life. All evil will be punished and the ultimate punishment is death eternal.
Joh 12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
Darkness brings with it the loss of sight- figuratively and spiritually. Walking in Christ we walk in the light, spiritually illuminated. We aren't spiritually blind.
Joh 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
Abiding in darkness, being blinded by the dark without any illumination, without any hope, unless we believe on Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we will abide in darkness and that path leads to eternal death.
Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Having spiritual light we are turned from spiritual darkness, with light we are turned from the power of Satan and turned to the power of God. The light brings with it Jesus and forgiveness from our sins. By faith we believe we will inherit eternal life along with all those made holy by faith in Jesus Christ to forgive.
Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Cast off the works of darkness- rioting, drunkeness, chambering, wantoness, strife, envying.
The armour of Light- the Lord Jesus Christ!
2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Light shines out of darkness. Our dark hearts can be lightened with the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!
2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Light and darkness do not commune together. Light overcomes darkness. Righteousness and unrighteousness do not commune together.
Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light
To be illuminated is to admit being unilluminated at one time. We come out of darkness and into the light and we must walk at those in the light, not as those in the dark.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Eph 5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Unfruitful works of darkness. All too often we believe that the dark ways are the only ways to get much in life. It's been revealed time and time again the evil corruption among the wealthy. Jesus even said it would be easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than a rich man to get to heaven and why is that... because oftentimes the riches are so overpowering that obtaining the riches by any means is all that matters more. Treasures on earth are all that matter to a lot of people and as long as treasures on earth mean more than treasures in heaven people will covet wealth and not care what unfruitful works of darkness they must do to get that wealth. If we are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness that ultimately yield eternal death and no eternal treasure at all, we must reprove them, be against them. The light of Christ shines down upon the darkness reproving the darkness, the works of the darkness. May God help us seek fellowship in the Light of Christ and not in the works of darkness.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Not flesh and blood. Not human.
Principalities (positions of authority)
Powers (exercising authority, control)
Rulers of darkness (rules, governs)
-- of this world.
Spiritual wickedness in high places.
Joh 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Joh 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience
1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence
There is a prince of this world and it's not Jesus. The prince of this world is evil and a ruler of darkness. And truly we wrestle with the prince of this world who would have us with him in eternal death and not with Jesus and eternal life. By whatever means he can use he will use to snare us. We wrestle. It's a fight and We have to cling to all that is Christ because He has defeated the prince of this world and he only has the power to save us from the prince of this world the ruler of darkness.
*
Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins
Thank you Father!!! Thank you for delivering us from the power of darkness by the grace and mercy, the forgiveness in Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! Thank you for giving us an inheritance with the saints in light!
1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Please God, let us watch and be sober, children of the Light.
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul
All praise to God, all praise to Jesus Christ! Praise God! Help us abstain from fleshly lusts which war against our souls. Keep us out of the darkness and keep us in Your marvelous light!
1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
God is light. In God there is no darkness at all!
1Jn 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
1Jn 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
1Jn 2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
Please God keep us in the light, keep us loving our brothers so we can abide in the light forever! We don't want to stumble in the darkness, we don't want to be blinded so that we don't even know we are walking in the dark. Please Lord, the Light of Life, be with us always! By Your amazing mercy, by your amazing grace, in Your love, Your righteousness, keep us in You light always!
Amen.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
In Jesus was life.
The life was the light of men.
The light shines in darkness.
Jesus shines in darkness.
The life shines in darkness.
Darkness comprehended it not.
Darkness doesn't comprehend Jesus.
If Jesus is light, what is dark?
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil- evil = darkness.
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Jesus is the light of life, evil is the darkness of death. Right? It stands to reason doesn't it? Jesus represents all that is pure and good and He is the light of life. Evil represents all that is bad and is the darkness of death. But hold on... I'm talking of the second death, not the first. The first death is the result of the first sin when God told Adam and Eve if they ate of the Tree of Life they would surely die. The second death is the permanent death without hope of a resurrection in Jesus. The first death is a sleep until Christ returns and the dead in Christ shall rise to life eternal in Him. Those that aren't among the dead in Christ or those alive in Christ when He returns will face the second death- death eternal and that is the evil, the darkness of death whereas Jesus is the Light of Life. All evil will be punished and the ultimate punishment is death eternal.
Joh 12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
Darkness brings with it the loss of sight- figuratively and spiritually. Walking in Christ we walk in the light, spiritually illuminated. We aren't spiritually blind.
Joh 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
Abiding in darkness, being blinded by the dark without any illumination, without any hope, unless we believe on Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we will abide in darkness and that path leads to eternal death.
Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Having spiritual light we are turned from spiritual darkness, with light we are turned from the power of Satan and turned to the power of God. The light brings with it Jesus and forgiveness from our sins. By faith we believe we will inherit eternal life along with all those made holy by faith in Jesus Christ to forgive.
Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Cast off the works of darkness- rioting, drunkeness, chambering, wantoness, strife, envying.
The armour of Light- the Lord Jesus Christ!
2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Light shines out of darkness. Our dark hearts can be lightened with the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!
2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Light and darkness do not commune together. Light overcomes darkness. Righteousness and unrighteousness do not commune together.
Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light
To be illuminated is to admit being unilluminated at one time. We come out of darkness and into the light and we must walk at those in the light, not as those in the dark.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Eph 5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Unfruitful works of darkness. All too often we believe that the dark ways are the only ways to get much in life. It's been revealed time and time again the evil corruption among the wealthy. Jesus even said it would be easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than a rich man to get to heaven and why is that... because oftentimes the riches are so overpowering that obtaining the riches by any means is all that matters more. Treasures on earth are all that matter to a lot of people and as long as treasures on earth mean more than treasures in heaven people will covet wealth and not care what unfruitful works of darkness they must do to get that wealth. If we are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness that ultimately yield eternal death and no eternal treasure at all, we must reprove them, be against them. The light of Christ shines down upon the darkness reproving the darkness, the works of the darkness. May God help us seek fellowship in the Light of Christ and not in the works of darkness.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Not flesh and blood. Not human.
Principalities (positions of authority)
Powers (exercising authority, control)
Rulers of darkness (rules, governs)
-- of this world.
Spiritual wickedness in high places.
Joh 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Joh 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience
1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence
There is a prince of this world and it's not Jesus. The prince of this world is evil and a ruler of darkness. And truly we wrestle with the prince of this world who would have us with him in eternal death and not with Jesus and eternal life. By whatever means he can use he will use to snare us. We wrestle. It's a fight and We have to cling to all that is Christ because He has defeated the prince of this world and he only has the power to save us from the prince of this world the ruler of darkness.
*
Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins
Thank you Father!!! Thank you for delivering us from the power of darkness by the grace and mercy, the forgiveness in Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! Thank you for giving us an inheritance with the saints in light!
1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Please God, let us watch and be sober, children of the Light.
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul
All praise to God, all praise to Jesus Christ! Praise God! Help us abstain from fleshly lusts which war against our souls. Keep us out of the darkness and keep us in Your marvelous light!
1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
God is light. In God there is no darkness at all!
1Jn 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
1Jn 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
1Jn 2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
Please God keep us in the light, keep us loving our brothers so we can abide in the light forever! We don't want to stumble in the darkness, we don't want to be blinded so that we don't even know we are walking in the dark. Please Lord, the Light of Life, be with us always! By Your amazing mercy, by your amazing grace, in Your love, Your righteousness, keep us in You light always!
Amen.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The World Hates You
Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Joh 15:25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause
Do you ever feel like the whole world hates you? Or do you blame your life and the way it is and the things that happen, on God? Satan is thrilled when we do that. He loves to hear us even think the words, 'Why, God, why!' He revels in our anger towards God. He adores our emnity with God because He is the author of that emnity and it is his life's mission to get as many human beings on board with that emnity as He can. And you know, He doesn't care if the emnity we feel is so minute that we don't even recognize it for what it is. There are many who are comfortable in their lives without any thought of God and when we have no thought for God, we are blind and comfortable in that blindness. Back to the the world hating us. Satan hates us, there is no love in Him whatsoever. Satan is the prince of THIS world and He would have the world hate any that are with God. He will not leave any trick unturned to get us to hate God and that includes using the world's hate to turn us against God by misplacing the blame. We are chosen OUT of the world. We are NOT of this world and yet we think we need to fit into the world and when we don't, when our lives don't fit in place in the world we get dismayed. We don't want to be one of those *crazies*, and sometimes we do want that but on our own terms. We'll be considered a *crazie* for God as long as He keeps our lives uncomplicated. It doesn't work that way. The world will hate those that love God, Satan will hate those who love God. The world hated Jesus without cause. Will we deserve any less? There won't be a reason for the bad things that happen to us in life. There won't be something we can look at and go, 'Oh...that's why.' Without any cause we too will be hated and while our sin filled lives are cause enough, we have to trust God, trust God fully and not look at ourselves for answers. We have to expect a life of being hated and living a life that is unfair in so many ways. We can't get caught up in believing our life is right with God only if things are going good with us. Our lives are right with God when we have faith in Him no matter what life brings us. The next time life turns on you and throws you for a huge loop try placing the blame where it belongs- on Satan, the prince of this world we live in. Cling to Christ's love and Christ's righteousness when it seems as if we are no where near the life God would have us be.
By the grace and mercy of God may we live our lives in Him fully. Protect us Lord, protect us and keep us no matter what befalls us or in what way, Keep us from the enemy within us that would bring us to despair. Create in us a clean heart Lord, renew a right spirit within. Please Lord.
Amen.
Joh 15:25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause
Do you ever feel like the whole world hates you? Or do you blame your life and the way it is and the things that happen, on God? Satan is thrilled when we do that. He loves to hear us even think the words, 'Why, God, why!' He revels in our anger towards God. He adores our emnity with God because He is the author of that emnity and it is his life's mission to get as many human beings on board with that emnity as He can. And you know, He doesn't care if the emnity we feel is so minute that we don't even recognize it for what it is. There are many who are comfortable in their lives without any thought of God and when we have no thought for God, we are blind and comfortable in that blindness. Back to the the world hating us. Satan hates us, there is no love in Him whatsoever. Satan is the prince of THIS world and He would have the world hate any that are with God. He will not leave any trick unturned to get us to hate God and that includes using the world's hate to turn us against God by misplacing the blame. We are chosen OUT of the world. We are NOT of this world and yet we think we need to fit into the world and when we don't, when our lives don't fit in place in the world we get dismayed. We don't want to be one of those *crazies*, and sometimes we do want that but on our own terms. We'll be considered a *crazie* for God as long as He keeps our lives uncomplicated. It doesn't work that way. The world will hate those that love God, Satan will hate those who love God. The world hated Jesus without cause. Will we deserve any less? There won't be a reason for the bad things that happen to us in life. There won't be something we can look at and go, 'Oh...that's why.' Without any cause we too will be hated and while our sin filled lives are cause enough, we have to trust God, trust God fully and not look at ourselves for answers. We have to expect a life of being hated and living a life that is unfair in so many ways. We can't get caught up in believing our life is right with God only if things are going good with us. Our lives are right with God when we have faith in Him no matter what life brings us. The next time life turns on you and throws you for a huge loop try placing the blame where it belongs- on Satan, the prince of this world we live in. Cling to Christ's love and Christ's righteousness when it seems as if we are no where near the life God would have us be.
By the grace and mercy of God may we live our lives in Him fully. Protect us Lord, protect us and keep us no matter what befalls us or in what way, Keep us from the enemy within us that would bring us to despair. Create in us a clean heart Lord, renew a right spirit within. Please Lord.
Amen.
The World Hates You
Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Joh 15:25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause
Do you ever feel like the whole world hates you? Or do you blame your life and the way it is and the things that happen, on God? Satan is thrilled when we do that. He loves to hear us even think the words, 'Why, God, why!' He revels in our anger towards God. He adores our emnity with God because He is the author of that emnity and it is his life's mission to get as many human beings on board with that emnity as He can. And you know, He doesn't care if the emnity we feel is so minute that we don't even recognize it for what it is. There are many who are comfortable in their lives without any thought of God and when we have no thought for God, we are blind and comfortable in that blindness. Back to the the world hating us. Satan hates us, there is no love in Him whatsoever. Satan is the prince of THIS world and He would have the world hate any that are with God. He will not leave any trick unturned to get us to hate God and that includes using the world's hate to turn us against God by misplacing the blame. We are chosen OUT of the world. We are NOT of this world and yet we think we need to fit into the world and when we don't, when our lives don't fit in place in the world we get dismayed. We don't want to be one of those *crazies*, and sometimes we do want that but on our own terms. We'll be considered a *crazie* for God as long as He keeps our lives uncomplicated. It doesn't work that way. The world will hate those that love God, Satan will hate those who love God. The world hated Jesus without cause. Will we deserve any less? There won't be a reason for the bad things that happen to us in life. There won't be something we can look at and go, 'Oh...that's why.' Without any cause we too will be hated and while our sin filled lives are cause enough, we have to trust God, trust God fully and not look at ourselves for answers. We have to expect a life of being hated and living a life that is unfair in so many ways. We can't get caught up in believing our life is right with God only if things are going good with us. Our lives are right with God when we have faith in Him no matter what life brings us. The next time life turns on you and throws you for a huge loop try placing the blame where it belongs- on Satan, the prince of this world we live in. Cling to Christ's love and Christ's righteousness when it seems as if we are no where near the life God would have us be.
By the grace and mercy of God may we live our lives in Him fully. Protect us Lord, protect us and keep us no matter what befalls us or in what way, Keep us from the enemy within us that would bring us to despair. Create in us a clean heart Lord, renew a right spirit within. Please Lord.
Amen.
Joh 15:25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause
Do you ever feel like the whole world hates you? Or do you blame your life and the way it is and the things that happen, on God? Satan is thrilled when we do that. He loves to hear us even think the words, 'Why, God, why!' He revels in our anger towards God. He adores our emnity with God because He is the author of that emnity and it is his life's mission to get as many human beings on board with that emnity as He can. And you know, He doesn't care if the emnity we feel is so minute that we don't even recognize it for what it is. There are many who are comfortable in their lives without any thought of God and when we have no thought for God, we are blind and comfortable in that blindness. Back to the the world hating us. Satan hates us, there is no love in Him whatsoever. Satan is the prince of THIS world and He would have the world hate any that are with God. He will not leave any trick unturned to get us to hate God and that includes using the world's hate to turn us against God by misplacing the blame. We are chosen OUT of the world. We are NOT of this world and yet we think we need to fit into the world and when we don't, when our lives don't fit in place in the world we get dismayed. We don't want to be one of those *crazies*, and sometimes we do want that but on our own terms. We'll be considered a *crazie* for God as long as He keeps our lives uncomplicated. It doesn't work that way. The world will hate those that love God, Satan will hate those who love God. The world hated Jesus without cause. Will we deserve any less? There won't be a reason for the bad things that happen to us in life. There won't be something we can look at and go, 'Oh...that's why.' Without any cause we too will be hated and while our sin filled lives are cause enough, we have to trust God, trust God fully and not look at ourselves for answers. We have to expect a life of being hated and living a life that is unfair in so many ways. We can't get caught up in believing our life is right with God only if things are going good with us. Our lives are right with God when we have faith in Him no matter what life brings us. The next time life turns on you and throws you for a huge loop try placing the blame where it belongs- on Satan, the prince of this world we live in. Cling to Christ's love and Christ's righteousness when it seems as if we are no where near the life God would have us be.
By the grace and mercy of God may we live our lives in Him fully. Protect us Lord, protect us and keep us no matter what befalls us or in what way, Keep us from the enemy within us that would bring us to despair. Create in us a clean heart Lord, renew a right spirit within. Please Lord.
Amen.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Coming Down From Heaven
Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Jesus came down from heaven.
Think abou it, think about what Jesus did.
We see various movies, it's in various books where a king voluntarily lays aside his crown and goes to live among the common people. Why does the king do that? Perhaps to get a taste of a normal life. The king meanwhile knows that at any time He can pick up his crown again and get out of the life of a common man and more often than not he does after learning some important life lesson which ends up making him a better man. Those are stories we read and watch. In fact on televison right now they're playing a show called 'Undercover Boss' where the CEO of various companies goes undercover for a week to see how his businesses are doing in a unique way- as an entry level employess new to the job with a documentary being filmed on his life going into a new job. Well, I'm not sure how much is a 'story', how different people react when cameras are on them changing normal behavior but I guess barring a hidden camera it's the best way they're going to get this sort of show done. The premise is the CEO is trying to make his company better by understanding what the 'little' man goes through and where things can be improved. A good premise for a show but the ultimate abdication of a crown is the one Jesus laid aside to become human.
1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
Jesus came in the flesh and is of God.
Jesus came down from heaven. In heaven He was a Spirit like God.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit
Jesus was the Word with God in the beginning.
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Just as on earth we have kings and their sons, princes holding all the power of his father- in heaven we had God the Father and God the Son- both Spirits. Then the Spirit of the Son took on flesh and dwelt among us.
Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Jesus a God in heaven set aside His sole spirit form and took on flesh coming down from heaven why? To do the will of God, not His own will.
We need to do the will of God, not our will. If we start our days and give our life to God's will then prayerfully throughout our day we'll walk in God's will and not our own. It's very very hard to do and really, impossible to do on our own. We have to cling to Christ and pray that His righteousness by ours because our own is nothing. We have to rely solely on God to do His will, because of our own selves we can do nothing, just like Jesus of His own self could do nothing, and we are far from being anywhere near like Jesus.
Joh 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Joh 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Without Jesus we can do nothing. Jesus without God could do nothing.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and our precious all merciful, loving Savior now and forever.
Amen.
Jesus came down from heaven.
Think abou it, think about what Jesus did.
We see various movies, it's in various books where a king voluntarily lays aside his crown and goes to live among the common people. Why does the king do that? Perhaps to get a taste of a normal life. The king meanwhile knows that at any time He can pick up his crown again and get out of the life of a common man and more often than not he does after learning some important life lesson which ends up making him a better man. Those are stories we read and watch. In fact on televison right now they're playing a show called 'Undercover Boss' where the CEO of various companies goes undercover for a week to see how his businesses are doing in a unique way- as an entry level employess new to the job with a documentary being filmed on his life going into a new job. Well, I'm not sure how much is a 'story', how different people react when cameras are on them changing normal behavior but I guess barring a hidden camera it's the best way they're going to get this sort of show done. The premise is the CEO is trying to make his company better by understanding what the 'little' man goes through and where things can be improved. A good premise for a show but the ultimate abdication of a crown is the one Jesus laid aside to become human.
1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
Jesus came in the flesh and is of God.
Jesus came down from heaven. In heaven He was a Spirit like God.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit
Jesus was the Word with God in the beginning.
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Just as on earth we have kings and their sons, princes holding all the power of his father- in heaven we had God the Father and God the Son- both Spirits. Then the Spirit of the Son took on flesh and dwelt among us.
Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Jesus a God in heaven set aside His sole spirit form and took on flesh coming down from heaven why? To do the will of God, not His own will.
We need to do the will of God, not our will. If we start our days and give our life to God's will then prayerfully throughout our day we'll walk in God's will and not our own. It's very very hard to do and really, impossible to do on our own. We have to cling to Christ and pray that His righteousness by ours because our own is nothing. We have to rely solely on God to do His will, because of our own selves we can do nothing, just like Jesus of His own self could do nothing, and we are far from being anywhere near like Jesus.
Joh 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Joh 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Without Jesus we can do nothing. Jesus without God could do nothing.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and our precious all merciful, loving Savior now and forever.
Amen.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Faint not at my tribulations for you
Eph 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Glorifying God.
If we honor God with our lives, our actions and such we are glorifying Him. We ask how we can glorify the Lord and our very lives are a testament to God. We don't need to do anything extraordinary. We don't have to be important or do some great work of notority. If we live a simple life to God that is enough to glorify Him. What matters most is we live for God and do His will whatever that may be. Knowing God's will for us isn't something easy. Again we tend to think outside of the normal life and into the extraordinary events. We have to know that it's God's will that we honor Him in all we do. We have to confess Jesus Christ the Son of God as our Lord and Savior and live a life that He calls us to live. It may mean picking up our own crosses and bearing our own heartaches, our own tribulations. We have to realize it's not God's disfavor that tribulation comes to us. God isn't punishing us. God isn't turning His back on us during the worst and darkest hours of our lives. We must cling to Him and confess that He is Lord and Savior, Creator and Redeemer even when our very lives and the lives of others around us are falling apart. Not easy, no, but it is the work we are called to do, God's work is for us to believe on Jesus Christ, His Son. We have to let our light shine, any good that comes from us must be attributed to God, not ourselves, all glory to God in the Highest, forever and ever.
Amen.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Glorifying God.
If we honor God with our lives, our actions and such we are glorifying Him. We ask how we can glorify the Lord and our very lives are a testament to God. We don't need to do anything extraordinary. We don't have to be important or do some great work of notority. If we live a simple life to God that is enough to glorify Him. What matters most is we live for God and do His will whatever that may be. Knowing God's will for us isn't something easy. Again we tend to think outside of the normal life and into the extraordinary events. We have to know that it's God's will that we honor Him in all we do. We have to confess Jesus Christ the Son of God as our Lord and Savior and live a life that He calls us to live. It may mean picking up our own crosses and bearing our own heartaches, our own tribulations. We have to realize it's not God's disfavor that tribulation comes to us. God isn't punishing us. God isn't turning His back on us during the worst and darkest hours of our lives. We must cling to Him and confess that He is Lord and Savior, Creator and Redeemer even when our very lives and the lives of others around us are falling apart. Not easy, no, but it is the work we are called to do, God's work is for us to believe on Jesus Christ, His Son. We have to let our light shine, any good that comes from us must be attributed to God, not ourselves, all glory to God in the Highest, forever and ever.
Amen.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Glorifying God
glorify
glorify (glôr´e-fì´, glor´-) verb, transitive
glorified, glorifying, glorifies
1. To give glory, honor, or high praise to; exalt.
3. To give glory to, especially through worship.
glory (glôr´ê, glor´ê) noun
plural glories
1. Great honor, praise, or distinction accorded by common consent; renown.
2. Something conferring honor or renown.
3. A highly praiseworthy asset: Your hair is your crowning glory.
4. Adoration, praise, and thanksgiving offered in worship.
5. Majestic beauty and splendor; resplendence: The sun set in a blaze of glory.
6. The splendor and bliss of heaven; perfect happiness.
Glorifying God.
How do you glorify God?
How should we glorify God?
God wants us to glorify Him. Our lives are to be lived glorifying God. The greatest thing we could ever do in life is glorify God. Living a life glorifying God.
Eph 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Tribulations for the glory of God?
Joh 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
Joh 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Joh 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
The works of God should be made manifest in the man blind from birth.
Joh 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
The works of God is that we believe on Jesus.
When we believe on Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we are doing the works of God. Glorifying God, giving Him the honor and praise, the adoration. When we have any tribulation at all whatsoever, large or small, we need to glorify God and do the works of God throughout the tribulation this is all God asks of us. To believe in Him through it all, through all of life no matter what comes. Easy to say. Horrors exist in our world that would rip apart the very sanity from a person and as we imagine the horrors and trying to glorify God during that horror it seems all but impossible doesn't it? When we are outside of the horrors, the heartaches, the pains, and sicknesses of life, we like to believe we can give glory to God throughout, but once we are in the midst of them it's not so easy. Should it be easy? Should our faith in God be strong no matter what comes?
Someone asked me recently if I were mad at God because of things happening in my life and I said no, and they said they would be. All I could do was say, no, I wasn't mad at God, I wasn't going to blame Him. I felt weak and near caving in but by God's grace I couldn't blame Him. And I mean it... by God's grace! Not by any special power of my own, not because oh, I'm just so wonderful or special quite the contrary. Only by God's grace can I hold fast.
I hear my daughter say- 'God's will be done.' When I don't want God's will to be a certain way and I want to say no... no don't let that be God's will. In fact she had the right of it. It wasn't that she was being callous at all, it was a faith that was manifest that even in the worst we need to pray God's will be done. We might not understand why or how or anything about the horrors that befall people, us included, but we have to pray God's will be done. God be glorified. God's works be done.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, the Son of man, the Son of God now and forever.
Amen.
glorify (glôr´e-fì´, glor´-) verb, transitive
glorified, glorifying, glorifies
1. To give glory, honor, or high praise to; exalt.
3. To give glory to, especially through worship.
glory (glôr´ê, glor´ê) noun
plural glories
1. Great honor, praise, or distinction accorded by common consent; renown.
2. Something conferring honor or renown.
3. A highly praiseworthy asset: Your hair is your crowning glory.
4. Adoration, praise, and thanksgiving offered in worship.
5. Majestic beauty and splendor; resplendence: The sun set in a blaze of glory.
6. The splendor and bliss of heaven; perfect happiness.
Glorifying God.
How do you glorify God?
How should we glorify God?
God wants us to glorify Him. Our lives are to be lived glorifying God. The greatest thing we could ever do in life is glorify God. Living a life glorifying God.
Eph 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Tribulations for the glory of God?
Joh 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
Joh 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Joh 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
The works of God should be made manifest in the man blind from birth.
Joh 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
The works of God is that we believe on Jesus.
When we believe on Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we are doing the works of God. Glorifying God, giving Him the honor and praise, the adoration. When we have any tribulation at all whatsoever, large or small, we need to glorify God and do the works of God throughout the tribulation this is all God asks of us. To believe in Him through it all, through all of life no matter what comes. Easy to say. Horrors exist in our world that would rip apart the very sanity from a person and as we imagine the horrors and trying to glorify God during that horror it seems all but impossible doesn't it? When we are outside of the horrors, the heartaches, the pains, and sicknesses of life, we like to believe we can give glory to God throughout, but once we are in the midst of them it's not so easy. Should it be easy? Should our faith in God be strong no matter what comes?
Someone asked me recently if I were mad at God because of things happening in my life and I said no, and they said they would be. All I could do was say, no, I wasn't mad at God, I wasn't going to blame Him. I felt weak and near caving in but by God's grace I couldn't blame Him. And I mean it... by God's grace! Not by any special power of my own, not because oh, I'm just so wonderful or special quite the contrary. Only by God's grace can I hold fast.
I hear my daughter say- 'God's will be done.' When I don't want God's will to be a certain way and I want to say no... no don't let that be God's will. In fact she had the right of it. It wasn't that she was being callous at all, it was a faith that was manifest that even in the worst we need to pray God's will be done. We might not understand why or how or anything about the horrors that befall people, us included, but we have to pray God's will be done. God be glorified. God's works be done.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, the Son of man, the Son of God now and forever.
Amen.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sometimes there isn't a sin.
Joh 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Sometimes there isn't a sin.
When you cry out why me, as life takes a turn that brings you pain, it's common to wonder if perhaps there's been something in how you've lived your life to bring the calamity about. Was there something you left undone? Did you not pray enough? Did you get angry unjustly once too often? Did your coveting stain you? Did you not ask for forgiveness for the selfishness you showed? What about your parents? Sometimes the sins of the fathers follow to the children don't they? Clearly they do.
Here in this Biblical instance Jesus is responding to the disciples asking Him why this particular man was born blind. Being born blind is obviously a curse so to speak and the disciples wanted to know who sinned, him or his parents. Jesus answered....neither. The curse of blindness at birth came about because it was something God wanted to happen for His glory. We think how horrible to deprive a person of their sight from birth to manifest your glory but it's an amazing blessing for this man. God allowed this to happen so that His works could be manifested in the blind man. God chose this man for a special calling to serve Him and is there anything greater than to be used for God's purpose? What a blessing he received. Not only was his physical sight restored to him but he had the blessing of having his spiritual sight opened as well at a time when the pharisees were deriding Jesus as being a miracle worker from God.
Could it be that sometimes we suffer to reveal God's glory?
Did that blind man who received his sight go on to never sin again? That's not for me to say but being human as we are and as Paul says, we are wretched creatures that can only live through the grace of God. Paul died daily and we too must die daily. Our self must die daily so that God's glory may shine through in us by His amazing grace and love.
'That the works of God should be made manifest...'
Things don't always have concrete reasons we can grasp hold of and sometimes it is 'that the works of God should be made manifest.'
May the works of God be made manifest in us all, may the glory of the Lord be our goal, not our own glory.
By the grace and the mercy, the everlasting eternal love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Sometimes there isn't a sin.
When you cry out why me, as life takes a turn that brings you pain, it's common to wonder if perhaps there's been something in how you've lived your life to bring the calamity about. Was there something you left undone? Did you not pray enough? Did you get angry unjustly once too often? Did your coveting stain you? Did you not ask for forgiveness for the selfishness you showed? What about your parents? Sometimes the sins of the fathers follow to the children don't they? Clearly they do.
Here in this Biblical instance Jesus is responding to the disciples asking Him why this particular man was born blind. Being born blind is obviously a curse so to speak and the disciples wanted to know who sinned, him or his parents. Jesus answered....neither. The curse of blindness at birth came about because it was something God wanted to happen for His glory. We think how horrible to deprive a person of their sight from birth to manifest your glory but it's an amazing blessing for this man. God allowed this to happen so that His works could be manifested in the blind man. God chose this man for a special calling to serve Him and is there anything greater than to be used for God's purpose? What a blessing he received. Not only was his physical sight restored to him but he had the blessing of having his spiritual sight opened as well at a time when the pharisees were deriding Jesus as being a miracle worker from God.
Could it be that sometimes we suffer to reveal God's glory?
Did that blind man who received his sight go on to never sin again? That's not for me to say but being human as we are and as Paul says, we are wretched creatures that can only live through the grace of God. Paul died daily and we too must die daily. Our self must die daily so that God's glory may shine through in us by His amazing grace and love.
'That the works of God should be made manifest...'
Things don't always have concrete reasons we can grasp hold of and sometimes it is 'that the works of God should be made manifest.'
May the works of God be made manifest in us all, may the glory of the Lord be our goal, not our own glory.
By the grace and the mercy, the everlasting eternal love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Suffering Wrongfully
1Pe 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
1Pe 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
1Pe 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
1Pe 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
*******
Suffering wrongfully. Would you say that you've suffered wrongfully? Would you declare that you've suffered unfairly? Would you say that in your life you've been made to suffer without cause? Do you believe that your suffering has been wrong, that you did nothing to deserve the suffering? Has God allowed things in your life to occur that make you angry at Him because you think you didn't deserve those things? I could say simply you're a sinner and you deserve every bad thing allowed to happen to you and it'd be true, right? We don't get to pick and choose what comes our way as a result of our sinning. You turn your life around and give it over to Christ your slate is clean you're walking the straight and narrow way and the worst agony you've every felt is allowed to befall you for no apparant good reason. You've been forgiven, you've suffered and Christ has suffered for you so why, why are you being allowed to suffer so much more than you ever suffered when you were lost in sin's strong, deadly grasp? Instantly you begin to believe that if you're going to suffer so much as God's when you've denied yourself so much to follow Him, you might as well stick to being a blatant sinner because you suffer no matter what and you might as well suffer for something you know you're doing wrong rather than for no good reason. What good is following God if we are called to suffer? What good is it if we devote our lives to Christ and then when we seemingly need His help the most it's gone? He's gone. Bottom line- we don't want to suffer anything. We don't want to be face with a temptation that calls for our suffering to over come, we want supernatural power to resist the temptation. When we find out all our lives we've suffered and lived a life full of compromise and then we see the life we SHOULD have had, a life with real love and no suffering, a life that should have been ours but is NOW out of our grasp because of the path we've walked down, it's painful and it's horrific and it's a slap in the face to have to deny ourselves something that should be ours. We rail against God for what we perceive as injustice. We cry out that we need help to overcome the temptation to sin and when we don't find that help and the sin overwhelms us we blame God for not giving us what we needed to beat the temptation. We spend our lives blaming God for allowing the unjust pain to occur, we blame God for not saving us from ourselves, we blame God for our weaknesses and in truth God has done all He had to do, all He could do to save us. Every day, every hour, every minute we have to believe that everything that comes our way- every temptation, every injustice, every pain, every heartache we suffer is NOTHING compared to the suffering of Jesus, innocent Jesus who took on our humanity setting aside the divinity that would keep Him from death. He had NO special power to use, not if He wanted to save us. He USED no power to keep Himself from the agonies of life, the temptations. We get it twisted in our thoughts that He was special and it was EASY for Him to live as He did and die as He did. We choose not to grasp the magnitude of what He suffered because if we keep from really comprehending it as far as we are able then we allow ourselves to believe we suffer more somehow because we aren't special as He was special and had the power to overcome- special power. The truth is He only had the same power we have right now today- God. He relied on His Father for all things and didn't trust things to His own power.
Joh 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Jesus suffered in ways we'll never be called to suffered because we know we are sinners, He never was. And even after we come to Christ and devote our lives to Him fully, seeking and obtaining forgiveness for our sin filled lives, and we think suddenly we are entitled to some special power that will keep us from feeling temptation and pain, a special power that will make us feel as if God is always with us and not abandoning us. Didn't Jesus cry out...
Mar 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Did God forsake Him? NO! He was resurrected but Jesus certainly felt as if God had left Him didn't He? So why should we even begin to think that we should have some special treatment that will afford us the feeling that God never leaves us on our own, suffering? We do though. We stomp our feet and rail our fists in the air and we scream at God for His lack of being there for us when we need Him the most. We suffer and we expect something special, to be treated better than God's own sinless Son.
We are CALLED to suffer and to suffer unjustly. God won't leave us, though it may feel as if He has abandoned us and left us to Satan's devices. We blame God and our lives go on and we continue to suffer and we console ourselves with worldly evils telling ourselves that it's just as well because God isn't really who He says He is and nothing is as it should be and when I loved Him the most He left me.
1Pe 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
1Pe 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
God forgive us! GOD FORGIVE US! Because we are so weak. We give in when we suffer, we blame God for the suffering, we are so incredibly weak and lack so much in faith. Please God, please forgive us...forgive us for presuming to know Your ways and to accuse You of wrong. Forgive us God, forgive us and please Lord, please...restore us to you. We know our sins are many and willful and we've shunned You and turned our backs on You, we've blamed You and cursed You time and again, please Lord! For Jesus' forgive us, for Love forgive us and bring us to You fully once more knowing that anything and everything we are to endure will somehow work out for Your glory. Please Lord, we don't even know for what we should pray or how to pray, let the Holy Spirit intercede for us with You. We are so unworthy and only You are worthy. Lord we believe, help our unbelief! Please Lord! Help our unbelief! By Your perfect mercy, Your perfect grace, Your perfect rightousness in Jesus Christ our Lord and our Savior now and forever!
Amen.
1Pe 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
1Pe 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
1Pe 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
*******
Suffering wrongfully. Would you say that you've suffered wrongfully? Would you declare that you've suffered unfairly? Would you say that in your life you've been made to suffer without cause? Do you believe that your suffering has been wrong, that you did nothing to deserve the suffering? Has God allowed things in your life to occur that make you angry at Him because you think you didn't deserve those things? I could say simply you're a sinner and you deserve every bad thing allowed to happen to you and it'd be true, right? We don't get to pick and choose what comes our way as a result of our sinning. You turn your life around and give it over to Christ your slate is clean you're walking the straight and narrow way and the worst agony you've every felt is allowed to befall you for no apparant good reason. You've been forgiven, you've suffered and Christ has suffered for you so why, why are you being allowed to suffer so much more than you ever suffered when you were lost in sin's strong, deadly grasp? Instantly you begin to believe that if you're going to suffer so much as God's when you've denied yourself so much to follow Him, you might as well stick to being a blatant sinner because you suffer no matter what and you might as well suffer for something you know you're doing wrong rather than for no good reason. What good is following God if we are called to suffer? What good is it if we devote our lives to Christ and then when we seemingly need His help the most it's gone? He's gone. Bottom line- we don't want to suffer anything. We don't want to be face with a temptation that calls for our suffering to over come, we want supernatural power to resist the temptation. When we find out all our lives we've suffered and lived a life full of compromise and then we see the life we SHOULD have had, a life with real love and no suffering, a life that should have been ours but is NOW out of our grasp because of the path we've walked down, it's painful and it's horrific and it's a slap in the face to have to deny ourselves something that should be ours. We rail against God for what we perceive as injustice. We cry out that we need help to overcome the temptation to sin and when we don't find that help and the sin overwhelms us we blame God for not giving us what we needed to beat the temptation. We spend our lives blaming God for allowing the unjust pain to occur, we blame God for not saving us from ourselves, we blame God for our weaknesses and in truth God has done all He had to do, all He could do to save us. Every day, every hour, every minute we have to believe that everything that comes our way- every temptation, every injustice, every pain, every heartache we suffer is NOTHING compared to the suffering of Jesus, innocent Jesus who took on our humanity setting aside the divinity that would keep Him from death. He had NO special power to use, not if He wanted to save us. He USED no power to keep Himself from the agonies of life, the temptations. We get it twisted in our thoughts that He was special and it was EASY for Him to live as He did and die as He did. We choose not to grasp the magnitude of what He suffered because if we keep from really comprehending it as far as we are able then we allow ourselves to believe we suffer more somehow because we aren't special as He was special and had the power to overcome- special power. The truth is He only had the same power we have right now today- God. He relied on His Father for all things and didn't trust things to His own power.
Joh 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Jesus suffered in ways we'll never be called to suffered because we know we are sinners, He never was. And even after we come to Christ and devote our lives to Him fully, seeking and obtaining forgiveness for our sin filled lives, and we think suddenly we are entitled to some special power that will keep us from feeling temptation and pain, a special power that will make us feel as if God is always with us and not abandoning us. Didn't Jesus cry out...
Mar 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Did God forsake Him? NO! He was resurrected but Jesus certainly felt as if God had left Him didn't He? So why should we even begin to think that we should have some special treatment that will afford us the feeling that God never leaves us on our own, suffering? We do though. We stomp our feet and rail our fists in the air and we scream at God for His lack of being there for us when we need Him the most. We suffer and we expect something special, to be treated better than God's own sinless Son.
We are CALLED to suffer and to suffer unjustly. God won't leave us, though it may feel as if He has abandoned us and left us to Satan's devices. We blame God and our lives go on and we continue to suffer and we console ourselves with worldly evils telling ourselves that it's just as well because God isn't really who He says He is and nothing is as it should be and when I loved Him the most He left me.
1Pe 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
1Pe 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
God forgive us! GOD FORGIVE US! Because we are so weak. We give in when we suffer, we blame God for the suffering, we are so incredibly weak and lack so much in faith. Please God, please forgive us...forgive us for presuming to know Your ways and to accuse You of wrong. Forgive us God, forgive us and please Lord, please...restore us to you. We know our sins are many and willful and we've shunned You and turned our backs on You, we've blamed You and cursed You time and again, please Lord! For Jesus' forgive us, for Love forgive us and bring us to You fully once more knowing that anything and everything we are to endure will somehow work out for Your glory. Please Lord, we don't even know for what we should pray or how to pray, let the Holy Spirit intercede for us with You. We are so unworthy and only You are worthy. Lord we believe, help our unbelief! Please Lord! Help our unbelief! By Your perfect mercy, Your perfect grace, Your perfect rightousness in Jesus Christ our Lord and our Savior now and forever!
Amen.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Inner Storms
When we think of crisis coming to us sometimes I think we look outside ourselves for those crisis. We wonder what's going to come our way, what's going to interfere with our lives in a negative way. What might we have to handle. Unfortunately not all crisis come at us that way. Sometimes the upsets come from within ourselves and we are that crisis. Seriously. Self-doubt can be embroiled in so much and it eats away at us. Confidence isn't something that is always easy, or rather a lot of times it isn't easy. Our thoughts can start us on a downward spiril of doubt and anguish. We can look at our lives and realize so much isn't the way we'd have it be in so many ways and it can cause us to slip down into despair.
Despair-
ya?'ash
yaw-ash'
A primitive root; to desist, that is, (figuratively) to despond: - (cause to) despair, one that is desperate, be no hope.
Despair-
exaporeomai
ex-ap-or-eh'-om-ahee
Middle voice from G1537 and G639; to be utterly at a loss, that is, despond: - (in) despair.
In despair we lose hope and that's something we really can't afford to lose hope.
When we have no hope...
Jer 18:12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.
...there is a tendency to just go crazy in sin. We stop affording sin the deadliness it holds and we embrace the sins because without hope we feel there is no reason to seek God or His ways. When we get to that point we have no hope at all, we despair. Facing the inward upsets that eat away at our hope is a treacherous thing. We have to remember that it isn't always the outside forces that assail us and put us in harm's way. The storms in our lives can come in many ways, the slippery ground, the sinking sand can be found within us. We have to really set ourselves on the solid Rock of Christ and His ways during ALL crisis, internal and external without neglecting one or the other. With emotional turmoil and many things that can cause it we really need to place ourselves on the Rock and hold fast throughout all storms.
May God bless and keep us in Him, in the hope of Him so that we don't give in to despair and succumb to the evil within our hearts, evils we all have and evils we need God to create in us a clean heart from, renewing a right spirit within. By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, now and forever.
Amen.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Despair-
ya?'ash
yaw-ash'
A primitive root; to desist, that is, (figuratively) to despond: - (cause to) despair, one that is desperate, be no hope.
Despair-
exaporeomai
ex-ap-or-eh'-om-ahee
Middle voice from G1537 and G639; to be utterly at a loss, that is, despond: - (in) despair.
In despair we lose hope and that's something we really can't afford to lose hope.
When we have no hope...
Jer 18:12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.
...there is a tendency to just go crazy in sin. We stop affording sin the deadliness it holds and we embrace the sins because without hope we feel there is no reason to seek God or His ways. When we get to that point we have no hope at all, we despair. Facing the inward upsets that eat away at our hope is a treacherous thing. We have to remember that it isn't always the outside forces that assail us and put us in harm's way. The storms in our lives can come in many ways, the slippery ground, the sinking sand can be found within us. We have to really set ourselves on the solid Rock of Christ and His ways during ALL crisis, internal and external without neglecting one or the other. With emotional turmoil and many things that can cause it we really need to place ourselves on the Rock and hold fast throughout all storms.
May God bless and keep us in Him, in the hope of Him so that we don't give in to despair and succumb to the evil within our hearts, evils we all have and evils we need God to create in us a clean heart from, renewing a right spirit within. By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, now and forever.
Amen.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Strangers
Heb 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Do we forget to entertain strangers? How many of us would even consider such a thing, seriously? Strangers? We are taught to be wary of strangers. We are taught to think the worst of them. Be on our guard where strangers are concerned.
Isn't is true that we are all strangers to each other? I read in a place of business once a sign that said, 'There are no strangers here just friends who haven't met.' I really liked that saying. It holds the spirit of what God means when we are told not to be forgetful to entertain strangers. No one is a stranger really, we are all just human beings in this huge world of ours and we all share a common bond by having life alone. When we meet a fellow human being we aren't familar with, yes, they are a stranger to us and if we treat them with respect and the love of Jesus Christ we are doing all we can do. Not every stranger will end up a friend regardless of what that saying I like says. Opening our hearts with kindness to those we don't know is all Jesus asks of us. The fact that we might be entertaining angels unaware is just another blessing given us.
Instead of turning a wary eye upon the strangers we meet in our life we need to turn a loving heart upon them, the love of Christ who asks us to trust in Him for all things and that includes being safe when a stranger does enter our lives. No, it doesn't mean all strangers are good and it doesn't mean that we won't be hurt by a stranger, but it means we trust in God that all things will work together for good for us because we love Him. We don't have to understand, we just have to embrace the love of Christ and love God first and our fellow man second. The commandment isn't to love God and love our family and friends, the commandment is to love God and love our fellow man, our neighbors and our neighbors are any and all we meet in our lives.
May God bless us with His pure love for human kind, may we embrace any and all opportunities to entertain strangers in our lives and by that may we offer them any comfort we can, even if it's a kind word or a simple smile. By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, now and forever. In Christ's love.
Amen.
Do we forget to entertain strangers? How many of us would even consider such a thing, seriously? Strangers? We are taught to be wary of strangers. We are taught to think the worst of them. Be on our guard where strangers are concerned.
Isn't is true that we are all strangers to each other? I read in a place of business once a sign that said, 'There are no strangers here just friends who haven't met.' I really liked that saying. It holds the spirit of what God means when we are told not to be forgetful to entertain strangers. No one is a stranger really, we are all just human beings in this huge world of ours and we all share a common bond by having life alone. When we meet a fellow human being we aren't familar with, yes, they are a stranger to us and if we treat them with respect and the love of Jesus Christ we are doing all we can do. Not every stranger will end up a friend regardless of what that saying I like says. Opening our hearts with kindness to those we don't know is all Jesus asks of us. The fact that we might be entertaining angels unaware is just another blessing given us.
Instead of turning a wary eye upon the strangers we meet in our life we need to turn a loving heart upon them, the love of Christ who asks us to trust in Him for all things and that includes being safe when a stranger does enter our lives. No, it doesn't mean all strangers are good and it doesn't mean that we won't be hurt by a stranger, but it means we trust in God that all things will work together for good for us because we love Him. We don't have to understand, we just have to embrace the love of Christ and love God first and our fellow man second. The commandment isn't to love God and love our family and friends, the commandment is to love God and love our fellow man, our neighbors and our neighbors are any and all we meet in our lives.
May God bless us with His pure love for human kind, may we embrace any and all opportunities to entertain strangers in our lives and by that may we offer them any comfort we can, even if it's a kind word or a simple smile. By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, now and forever. In Christ's love.
Amen.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Through the waters and fires
Isa 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Everyday I try to read a little book that has daily Bible inspirations. Sometimes I'll read it early, sometimes I won't read it till late at night. If I forget to read it one day I'll read two the next, or try to. Yesterday I didn't get to it until later at night and I had to smile. Sometimes God arranges things so we see His hand at work clearly even if we're not exactly sure what lesson we are being taught. More often than not it'll be a lesson that we'll need for the future. I'm sure God is showing me something, not sure exactly where it will apply but yesterday my study was on Matthew 7:24-27 where we are taught by Jesus about being wise and building our houses upon the Rock and not upon the sand where the wind and waters and such can knock us down. Later that day I did something very spontaneously, I took our car to the car wash for the first time (on my own, that I can remember) the automatic car wash. Why? Well it was looking awfully dirty and my hubby who usually keeps up with its washing is recovering from surgery and infections so he isn't out and about like he usually is and well I just thought I'd get it cleaned up. Now there isn't anything remarkable about taking a car through a car wash and it was over and done with, I didn't think about it again until later that night when I picked up the daily bible booklet and had to laugh as I read a little story about going through a car wash! It was amazing that here I took our car through the car wash out of the blue and that very night I'd read about 'going through the waters'. The analogy was about going through life's rough waters and how God will be with us when that happens.
So here we have it- 3 things. 1st my study on building our houses on the Rock so the rains of life don't beat us down, 2nd the car washing, and 3rd the analogy to match that car washing. God is trying to show me something so I'm going to study a bit more on this and hope and pray I learn the lesson I'm going to need as His wisdom has reveals.
Isa 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Waters, rivers, fire and flame all natural elements. Water and fire to opposing elements and yet both in their own right are deadly as well as life sustaining. Water is necessary for so much and fire is as well. Life and death the seemingly neverending cycle that is our lot. Only it's not life and death, it's life, death, and life again. With God our lives don't have to end in death eternal unless we choose that path. We can have life eternal it is a gift offered to us all through Jesus Christ and His righteousness, His grace, His mercy, His love.
All through life we will have those two opposing yet necessary forces in our lives. We will pass through waters that will assail us trying to drown us and steal our lives and we will pass through fires that will try to burn us and keep us from a life in Christ. We know we will have trials and tribulations, we know that we will have many obstacles to face and that's not something we can ever get out of, we can't expect to have a life trouble free because that doesn't exist. What we can count on is God being with us through it all. We have to burn into our minds this verse-
Isa 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
We might feel like we're drowning in a sea of despair, we might be sure we are being burned alive and all hope is being stripped from us as life's heartaches assail us unendingly. When the pain is upon us, either mentally or physically, or even emotionally we instinctively seem to want to blame God for allowing the pain, we question Him, we question life and it's so easy to believe God has abandoned us by allowing the horrific trials of life to beat at us. He never leaves us- we leave Him. We have to trust Him beyond everything else. We have to have faith in Him that He will see us through the deepest of waters and the mose wicked of storms, that He will protect our eternal life as we are seemingly being burned alive with the fiery trials of life. We can't believe God is leaving us, or has left us when life hurts we have to trust that He that knows the end from the beginning knows what is what and that His will is better than our own will even if we can't even see the first hint of understanding dawning as to why the trials and tribulations come to us. The more they come the closer to God we need to be not further away.
By the grace and mercy of God may we hold fast to Him through all storms that come our way even when they come one after another so violent that our very hearts feel as if they are being torn from our chests. In Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, by His love and through the Holy Spirit's guidance.
Amen.
Everyday I try to read a little book that has daily Bible inspirations. Sometimes I'll read it early, sometimes I won't read it till late at night. If I forget to read it one day I'll read two the next, or try to. Yesterday I didn't get to it until later at night and I had to smile. Sometimes God arranges things so we see His hand at work clearly even if we're not exactly sure what lesson we are being taught. More often than not it'll be a lesson that we'll need for the future. I'm sure God is showing me something, not sure exactly where it will apply but yesterday my study was on Matthew 7:24-27 where we are taught by Jesus about being wise and building our houses upon the Rock and not upon the sand where the wind and waters and such can knock us down. Later that day I did something very spontaneously, I took our car to the car wash for the first time (on my own, that I can remember) the automatic car wash. Why? Well it was looking awfully dirty and my hubby who usually keeps up with its washing is recovering from surgery and infections so he isn't out and about like he usually is and well I just thought I'd get it cleaned up. Now there isn't anything remarkable about taking a car through a car wash and it was over and done with, I didn't think about it again until later that night when I picked up the daily bible booklet and had to laugh as I read a little story about going through a car wash! It was amazing that here I took our car through the car wash out of the blue and that very night I'd read about 'going through the waters'. The analogy was about going through life's rough waters and how God will be with us when that happens.
So here we have it- 3 things. 1st my study on building our houses on the Rock so the rains of life don't beat us down, 2nd the car washing, and 3rd the analogy to match that car washing. God is trying to show me something so I'm going to study a bit more on this and hope and pray I learn the lesson I'm going to need as His wisdom has reveals.
Isa 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Waters, rivers, fire and flame all natural elements. Water and fire to opposing elements and yet both in their own right are deadly as well as life sustaining. Water is necessary for so much and fire is as well. Life and death the seemingly neverending cycle that is our lot. Only it's not life and death, it's life, death, and life again. With God our lives don't have to end in death eternal unless we choose that path. We can have life eternal it is a gift offered to us all through Jesus Christ and His righteousness, His grace, His mercy, His love.
All through life we will have those two opposing yet necessary forces in our lives. We will pass through waters that will assail us trying to drown us and steal our lives and we will pass through fires that will try to burn us and keep us from a life in Christ. We know we will have trials and tribulations, we know that we will have many obstacles to face and that's not something we can ever get out of, we can't expect to have a life trouble free because that doesn't exist. What we can count on is God being with us through it all. We have to burn into our minds this verse-
Isa 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
We might feel like we're drowning in a sea of despair, we might be sure we are being burned alive and all hope is being stripped from us as life's heartaches assail us unendingly. When the pain is upon us, either mentally or physically, or even emotionally we instinctively seem to want to blame God for allowing the pain, we question Him, we question life and it's so easy to believe God has abandoned us by allowing the horrific trials of life to beat at us. He never leaves us- we leave Him. We have to trust Him beyond everything else. We have to have faith in Him that He will see us through the deepest of waters and the mose wicked of storms, that He will protect our eternal life as we are seemingly being burned alive with the fiery trials of life. We can't believe God is leaving us, or has left us when life hurts we have to trust that He that knows the end from the beginning knows what is what and that His will is better than our own will even if we can't even see the first hint of understanding dawning as to why the trials and tribulations come to us. The more they come the closer to God we need to be not further away.
By the grace and mercy of God may we hold fast to Him through all storms that come our way even when they come one after another so violent that our very hearts feel as if they are being torn from our chests. In Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, by His love and through the Holy Spirit's guidance.
Amen.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Are we living upon the Rock?
Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it
*******
Life sends us a lot of rain doesn't it? Everyone has a few floods in their lives, and that wind, the wind is probably more common than either the rain or floods. Sometimes we get a combination of it all, we get hurricanes in our lives. Yes, I'm talking figuratively because that's what this is all about, it's not a lesson in literal construction but a lesson to teach us about life's many hardships. No one lives in sunshine all the time, no one lives without problems in their lives. We can anticipate some of life's problems but most of them take us by surprise and try to knock us off our feet. What would we do if we could anticipate life's problems? If we were given a blueprint of our lives and told at this point a hurricane was going to hit our lives and try to knock us off our foundation- which is Jesus Christ. We would try to batten down our hatches so to speak, we'd put those shutters up on our windows, we'd lay a good supply of life's essentials around us and we'd wait hoping we were well prepared. See, we don't know when a sudden blow to our faith is going to hit us. We aren't given early warning signs, or are we? Perhaps our warning signs can come in the form of our faith and what we do to keep it strong. If we keep our house in tip top condition we've prepared in the best way we can for any sudden storm, right? If we hear the sayings of Jesus and do them, we are like a wise man who has built his house upon a rock.
In life people don't often live in a single house. Some live in several houses over their lifetime. In the figurative sense we can move from house to house as well- and sometimes our new house isn't built upon the rock of Christ. We take up a new abode and raise it upon sinking sand and we wonder why life is so horrible and we wonder why we aren't strong in Christ but weak in our own righteousness. We have to take stock of ourselves and take stock daily. Are we living upon the Rock today? Are we in the process of moving to a new house not built upon the rock? Do we suddenly find that we've moved in our sleep and we wake up in a sinking house? The good thing about the figurative building is that we can move instantly by the grace of God and we need to move instantly as soon as we recognize the house we are in is falling down from the assaults of life. If we recognize the house we are in is built upon the sand and don't make any effort to move to a house upon the rocks we have no one to blame but ourselves when life's problems overwhelm us completely and drown us, leaving us homeless and flailing about for shelter.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, by His righteousness may we seek Him and His ways often and always so that we may live protected by Him and His amazing, unfathomable love.
Amen.
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it
*******
Life sends us a lot of rain doesn't it? Everyone has a few floods in their lives, and that wind, the wind is probably more common than either the rain or floods. Sometimes we get a combination of it all, we get hurricanes in our lives. Yes, I'm talking figuratively because that's what this is all about, it's not a lesson in literal construction but a lesson to teach us about life's many hardships. No one lives in sunshine all the time, no one lives without problems in their lives. We can anticipate some of life's problems but most of them take us by surprise and try to knock us off our feet. What would we do if we could anticipate life's problems? If we were given a blueprint of our lives and told at this point a hurricane was going to hit our lives and try to knock us off our foundation- which is Jesus Christ. We would try to batten down our hatches so to speak, we'd put those shutters up on our windows, we'd lay a good supply of life's essentials around us and we'd wait hoping we were well prepared. See, we don't know when a sudden blow to our faith is going to hit us. We aren't given early warning signs, or are we? Perhaps our warning signs can come in the form of our faith and what we do to keep it strong. If we keep our house in tip top condition we've prepared in the best way we can for any sudden storm, right? If we hear the sayings of Jesus and do them, we are like a wise man who has built his house upon a rock.
In life people don't often live in a single house. Some live in several houses over their lifetime. In the figurative sense we can move from house to house as well- and sometimes our new house isn't built upon the rock of Christ. We take up a new abode and raise it upon sinking sand and we wonder why life is so horrible and we wonder why we aren't strong in Christ but weak in our own righteousness. We have to take stock of ourselves and take stock daily. Are we living upon the Rock today? Are we in the process of moving to a new house not built upon the rock? Do we suddenly find that we've moved in our sleep and we wake up in a sinking house? The good thing about the figurative building is that we can move instantly by the grace of God and we need to move instantly as soon as we recognize the house we are in is falling down from the assaults of life. If we recognize the house we are in is built upon the sand and don't make any effort to move to a house upon the rocks we have no one to blame but ourselves when life's problems overwhelm us completely and drown us, leaving us homeless and flailing about for shelter.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, by His righteousness may we seek Him and His ways often and always so that we may live protected by Him and His amazing, unfathomable love.
Amen.
Monday, February 15, 2010
To God's Honor
2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
2Ti 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
2Ti 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
The Lord knoweth them that are his.
How amazing is this, how comforting. Combine that with this--
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
-- and we can see how important it is that God knows us, that we are known by Him. Doing *works* isn't what it is all about because preceeding that last verse is this--
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
If people are prophesying in the Lord's name and if they are casting out devils, and doing many wonderful works they ARE going to believe they are doing the Lord's work so it will be a shock to them when He says He doesn't know them.
2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
2Ti 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
2Ti 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. If we claim Christ as ours, if we claim Christ in our life, if we claim to have Christ in our actions doing these marvelous things then we can't sin at the same time, rather we can't sin willingly, knowingly.
That verse above goes on to say that in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but of wood and earth, some to honor and some to dishonor. Our lives have to be to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Our lives have to be dedicated to Him fully for His honor. We can't sin willingly, knowingly, wantingly and expect Christ to know us. We will be Christians among others that claim they are Christians and not all of us will be preachers, prophets, healers, and such, but we are all Christ's. Some preachers, prophets, and healers won't be to Christ's honor, they will be to His dishonor, it will be those that He professes 'I never knew you, depart from me, yet hat work iniquity.' We have to examine our lives, our hearts and surrender all to God for His honor willing to let Him work in us the righteousness of Christ because we have none of our own. We have to live for Christ in all that we do and while the world with Satan at it's helm pulls out all the stops to get us to dishonor God, we have to cling to Christ all that much more and pray for an indwelling of the Holy Spirit living in us to will and to do of God's good pleasure now and forever, this is my prayer.
Amen.
2Ti 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
2Ti 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
The Lord knoweth them that are his.
How amazing is this, how comforting. Combine that with this--
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
-- and we can see how important it is that God knows us, that we are known by Him. Doing *works* isn't what it is all about because preceeding that last verse is this--
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
If people are prophesying in the Lord's name and if they are casting out devils, and doing many wonderful works they ARE going to believe they are doing the Lord's work so it will be a shock to them when He says He doesn't know them.
2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
2Ti 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
2Ti 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. If we claim Christ as ours, if we claim Christ in our life, if we claim to have Christ in our actions doing these marvelous things then we can't sin at the same time, rather we can't sin willingly, knowingly.
That verse above goes on to say that in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but of wood and earth, some to honor and some to dishonor. Our lives have to be to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Our lives have to be dedicated to Him fully for His honor. We can't sin willingly, knowingly, wantingly and expect Christ to know us. We will be Christians among others that claim they are Christians and not all of us will be preachers, prophets, healers, and such, but we are all Christ's. Some preachers, prophets, and healers won't be to Christ's honor, they will be to His dishonor, it will be those that He professes 'I never knew you, depart from me, yet hat work iniquity.' We have to examine our lives, our hearts and surrender all to God for His honor willing to let Him work in us the righteousness of Christ because we have none of our own. We have to live for Christ in all that we do and while the world with Satan at it's helm pulls out all the stops to get us to dishonor God, we have to cling to Christ all that much more and pray for an indwelling of the Holy Spirit living in us to will and to do of God's good pleasure now and forever, this is my prayer.
Amen.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
We don't want to be deceived.
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
Rev 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Satan gives this kingdom(ruling power) it's power, it's life. People will be worshipping Satan by worshipping the power he controls. The power will be unique in that there aren't any other powers fully like this power that Satan controls. No one would dare make war with this power at this time. The power will speak great things, the power will blaspheme against God - but remember this is a power that is worshipped so the blaspheme isn't going to be something readily seen. This power continued for many years and continues to blasphemy God, God's name, and God's tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven. We know that God's tabernacle is with man and that tabernacle is Jesus and Jesus dwells in heaven. This power will have twisted things so much that it is true blaspheme against God in many ways and yet it will be worshipped. People don't like to imagine they're worshipping any power that is against God, a power that has been in existence for a long, long time. People believe that they are too smart to be duped and this power is Godly, but it's not, it only seems to be. This power makes war against God's true people - the saints. This power influenced greatly all kindreds, tongues, and nations. This power is going to have worship from ALL whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. We have to realize that deception is an art form with Satan and He has perfected that deception to the point that out of the multitude only very few will have their names written in the book of life. The Bible tells us this...
Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
It's an eye opening revelation to be sure that the majority of people are going to be deceived by Satan. And it is deception because the art of deception is fooling someone without their knowing it. God tells us this will happen, and also tells us this...
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
We must know the commandments of God fully if we are to be among the saints- those not deceived. We must know the faith of Jesus fully. Do you know and follow the commandments of God? Do you know what the faith of Jesus is and do you have the faith of Jesus in your life? We have to study.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
May God bless us as we seek to study His word, to rightly divide His word to know the truth of His commandments and the faith of Jesus. We don't want to be deceived as the many will be. Open our hearts and our minds by the Holy Spirit's power guide us to You fully so that we may know You and be known by You in Your love.
Amen.
Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
Rev 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Satan gives this kingdom(ruling power) it's power, it's life. People will be worshipping Satan by worshipping the power he controls. The power will be unique in that there aren't any other powers fully like this power that Satan controls. No one would dare make war with this power at this time. The power will speak great things, the power will blaspheme against God - but remember this is a power that is worshipped so the blaspheme isn't going to be something readily seen. This power continued for many years and continues to blasphemy God, God's name, and God's tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven. We know that God's tabernacle is with man and that tabernacle is Jesus and Jesus dwells in heaven. This power will have twisted things so much that it is true blaspheme against God in many ways and yet it will be worshipped. People don't like to imagine they're worshipping any power that is against God, a power that has been in existence for a long, long time. People believe that they are too smart to be duped and this power is Godly, but it's not, it only seems to be. This power makes war against God's true people - the saints. This power influenced greatly all kindreds, tongues, and nations. This power is going to have worship from ALL whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. We have to realize that deception is an art form with Satan and He has perfected that deception to the point that out of the multitude only very few will have their names written in the book of life. The Bible tells us this...
Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
It's an eye opening revelation to be sure that the majority of people are going to be deceived by Satan. And it is deception because the art of deception is fooling someone without their knowing it. God tells us this will happen, and also tells us this...
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
We must know the commandments of God fully if we are to be among the saints- those not deceived. We must know the faith of Jesus fully. Do you know and follow the commandments of God? Do you know what the faith of Jesus is and do you have the faith of Jesus in your life? We have to study.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
May God bless us as we seek to study His word, to rightly divide His word to know the truth of His commandments and the faith of Jesus. We don't want to be deceived as the many will be. Open our hearts and our minds by the Holy Spirit's power guide us to You fully so that we may know You and be known by You in Your love.
Amen.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Retaining Knowledge of God
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient
These words jumped out at me- Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.
Do you like to retain God in your knowledge? Seriously do you? Do I? Do we? What does it mean to retain God in our knowledge?
The verse reads even as they... who are the they?
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools
The 'they' are those who when they knew God- they glorified him not as God...professing themselves to be wise they became fools. The 'they' are those who have the chance to know God and even in knowing Him they choose not to give God the glory due to Him. Anyone who knows God and chooses not to glorify him is a fool.
'Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.' The they are any of us that don't choose to retrain God in our knowledge. We fill our lives with all sorts of things, all kinds of knowledge. We increase our knowledge of characters on a television screen, we increase our knowledge of fictional beings in books, we increase our knowledge in our ability to play games, we don't ever stop learning. Daily our knowledge is increasing even when we don't imagine that it is and can say with all assumed honesty that we didn't learn anything yesterday. In truth all your actions of the day before gave you knowledge. Were you sick and just laid in bed all day moaning in misery? Did you learn anything then? You learned to appreciate feeling better that much more. It's a simple thing but a lot of our learning is just that, simple and done without us even recognizing it as learning. Our lives are one learning experience after another. Our lives are made up of the sum of our learning experiences. Even those who seeming never learn from their mistakes, are learning but choosing not to avail themselves of the knowledge they've acquired. We live and in doing so we are learning the two go hand in hand. I'm not saying that everyone who lives is a scholar of great magnitude, I'm not saying everyone obtains a degree but we are constantly learning even if our lives seem to be utter failures. This part of the verse that jumped out at me...'Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.' it jumped out at me for a reason. Often as we go about life acquiring knowledge we make choices on what we wish to retain. We focus on one thing over another, we let certain things become more important to us than other things. When a person chooses NOT to like to retain God in their knowledge they are choosing to abandon what they know of God. Just as we all learn right from wrong as we grow up, we can choose whether or not we like to retain the knowledge of right and wrong and if we choose to like the knowledge of wrong doing over right doing our lives will reflect that. What we like to retain in our minds sets a course for our lives. Anyone who chooses not to like retaining God in their knowledge is setting a course away from God and without God we have no hope for eternal life, no hope for redemption.
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient
God gave them over to a reprobate mind...God allows those who don't like to retain knowledge of Him to do the things that they want to do, God will NOT force anyone to believe on Him. God will not force anyone to like to retain knowledge of Him. We make the choice ourselves whether or not we like to retain God in our knowledge. In choosing to like to retain God in our knowledge we are keeping Him ever in our minds and ever before us as the supreme being in our lives even before ourselves. We are giving God rule over us and living for Him, not for ourselves. We like to retain God in our knowledge, keeping God in our lives forever. Read further on about those who don't like to retain God in their knowledge.
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them
God giving them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient- one or all or these can be symptoms of those who don't like to retain God in their knowledge but would rather He never existed to confound their lives.
Unrighteousness
Fornication
Wickedness
Covetousness
Maliciousness
Full of envy
Murder
Debate
Deceit
Malignity
Whisperers
Backbiters
Haters of God
Despiteful
Proud
Boasters
Inventors of evil things
Disobedient to parents
Without understanding
Covenantbreakers
Without natural affection
Implacable
Unmerciful
That's a long list of things isn't it? Chances are we might find ourselves in there somewhere, does that mean we aren't among those who like to retain the knowledge of God? No, but it should give us pause to seek the Lord and a much closer walk with Him so that we aren't taken over by any of those things. We will always struggle as long as Satan is there to tempt us. We are flesh and spirit and Satan will go after our fleshy side for as long as we live. The Apostle Paul called himself a wretched man who warred within himself. We are the same, we will war within ourselves and that's a good thing. It's when the warring ceases we might want to do a double check. Christ alone can save us through His righteousness. We have to keep Him forever before us. We have to like retaining the knowledge of God in our lives so that we aren't given over to a reprobate mind. By the grace of God, by the mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever may we always and forever like to retain God in our knowledge, in all our knowing, know Him first and foremost. Through the Holy Spirit's guidance.
Amen.
Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Mar 4:22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
These words jumped out at me- Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.
Do you like to retain God in your knowledge? Seriously do you? Do I? Do we? What does it mean to retain God in our knowledge?
The verse reads even as they... who are the they?
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools
The 'they' are those who when they knew God- they glorified him not as God...professing themselves to be wise they became fools. The 'they' are those who have the chance to know God and even in knowing Him they choose not to give God the glory due to Him. Anyone who knows God and chooses not to glorify him is a fool.
'Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.' The they are any of us that don't choose to retrain God in our knowledge. We fill our lives with all sorts of things, all kinds of knowledge. We increase our knowledge of characters on a television screen, we increase our knowledge of fictional beings in books, we increase our knowledge in our ability to play games, we don't ever stop learning. Daily our knowledge is increasing even when we don't imagine that it is and can say with all assumed honesty that we didn't learn anything yesterday. In truth all your actions of the day before gave you knowledge. Were you sick and just laid in bed all day moaning in misery? Did you learn anything then? You learned to appreciate feeling better that much more. It's a simple thing but a lot of our learning is just that, simple and done without us even recognizing it as learning. Our lives are one learning experience after another. Our lives are made up of the sum of our learning experiences. Even those who seeming never learn from their mistakes, are learning but choosing not to avail themselves of the knowledge they've acquired. We live and in doing so we are learning the two go hand in hand. I'm not saying that everyone who lives is a scholar of great magnitude, I'm not saying everyone obtains a degree but we are constantly learning even if our lives seem to be utter failures. This part of the verse that jumped out at me...'Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.' it jumped out at me for a reason. Often as we go about life acquiring knowledge we make choices on what we wish to retain. We focus on one thing over another, we let certain things become more important to us than other things. When a person chooses NOT to like to retain God in their knowledge they are choosing to abandon what they know of God. Just as we all learn right from wrong as we grow up, we can choose whether or not we like to retain the knowledge of right and wrong and if we choose to like the knowledge of wrong doing over right doing our lives will reflect that. What we like to retain in our minds sets a course for our lives. Anyone who chooses not to like retaining God in their knowledge is setting a course away from God and without God we have no hope for eternal life, no hope for redemption.
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient
God gave them over to a reprobate mind...God allows those who don't like to retain knowledge of Him to do the things that they want to do, God will NOT force anyone to believe on Him. God will not force anyone to like to retain knowledge of Him. We make the choice ourselves whether or not we like to retain God in our knowledge. In choosing to like to retain God in our knowledge we are keeping Him ever in our minds and ever before us as the supreme being in our lives even before ourselves. We are giving God rule over us and living for Him, not for ourselves. We like to retain God in our knowledge, keeping God in our lives forever. Read further on about those who don't like to retain God in their knowledge.
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them
God giving them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient- one or all or these can be symptoms of those who don't like to retain God in their knowledge but would rather He never existed to confound their lives.
Unrighteousness
Fornication
Wickedness
Covetousness
Maliciousness
Full of envy
Murder
Debate
Deceit
Malignity
Whisperers
Backbiters
Haters of God
Despiteful
Proud
Boasters
Inventors of evil things
Disobedient to parents
Without understanding
Covenantbreakers
Without natural affection
Implacable
Unmerciful
That's a long list of things isn't it? Chances are we might find ourselves in there somewhere, does that mean we aren't among those who like to retain the knowledge of God? No, but it should give us pause to seek the Lord and a much closer walk with Him so that we aren't taken over by any of those things. We will always struggle as long as Satan is there to tempt us. We are flesh and spirit and Satan will go after our fleshy side for as long as we live. The Apostle Paul called himself a wretched man who warred within himself. We are the same, we will war within ourselves and that's a good thing. It's when the warring ceases we might want to do a double check. Christ alone can save us through His righteousness. We have to keep Him forever before us. We have to like retaining the knowledge of God in our lives so that we aren't given over to a reprobate mind. By the grace of God, by the mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever may we always and forever like to retain God in our knowledge, in all our knowing, know Him first and foremost. Through the Holy Spirit's guidance.
Amen.
Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Mar 4:22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
Friday, February 12, 2010
How would God have us think?
Do you ever feel as if you don't quite fit in the world the way it is? Seriously, I'm not asking so I can point a finger at you and shout 'Crazy person!' We weren't created to live as we do, and as we strive to make sense of life and our place in it we can't be happy if we don't feel as if we fit in the way we should. A strange concept isn't it? To be happy if you don't fit in.
We strive so much to fit in, to be right with the world around us. We strive to live our lives in such a way things seem to be right with all we do. Unfortunately there are as many ways that seem right to us as there are people in existence. We don't often see eye to eye. Even within our immediate families there is a constant (albeit lessened) sense of not always seeing eye to eye.
Friction. We live our lives filled with friction with one another and the varying perceptions of things we all have. Finding two people who agree on a mostly consistent basis is a rare thing- they usually become friends, but as we ALL know even the best of friends have falling outs. You've heard the saying I'm all right you're all wrong haven't you? It's the way we feel on a constant basis, we are right-- my opinions, my feelings, my way of thinking is somehow more right than yours-- but it's not. We are all striving to fit in, each of our minds holding thoughts unique to us and those thoughts don't always mesh with another's thoughts.
How would God have us think, or not think?
Mat 10:34 THINK NOT that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye THINK NOT the Son of man cometh.
Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye THINK ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Joh 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will THINK that he doeth God service.
Act 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought NOT TO THINK that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, NOT TO THINK of himself more highly than he ought to THINK; but to THINK soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us NOT TO THINK of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
1Co 8:2 And if any man THINK that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 1Co 8:3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to THINK any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God
Gal 6:3 For if a man THINK himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK on these things.
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, THINK it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
*
There are some really interesting and very enlightening scriptures here. I want to point out a few that pertain more to what I was talking about than others--
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, NOT TO THINK of himself more highly than he ought to THINK; but to THINK soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
We want to think more highly of ourselves than we should don't we? A lot of times we really do. We want to think we're *all that* and more. Our egos can sometimes grow so huge we constantly trip over them. We THINK more highly than we ought to and that gets us into trouble doesn't it? Seriously we have to note this don't we? When we begin to think we are something very special in and of ourselves outside of God's realm and God's control we are in grave danger. Grave danger meaning we are at risk of offending God by placing ourselves before Him. We have to take ourselves down a few notches and realize we are creations and by the grace of our Creator we have been given life and allowed the opportunity to surrender those lives to God.
1Co 8:2 And if any man THINK that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 1Co 8:3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to THINK any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God
Gal 6:3 For if a man THINK himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
We love to spout out our knowledge don't we? The words- 'I know' are very common to our tongues. I know this and I know that and I most certainly know all about the other thing. Pay attention to your words if you can and just try to note how often you say those two words- 'I know.' Loving God is much more important than knowing anything else at all. Loving God is everything. It's better for us to be known as one who loves God rather than be known as the one who knows of anything else.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK on these things.
We are told what to think on and it certainly isn't ourselves and our own knowledge. We are to think on the true things, the honest things, the just things, the pure things, the lovely things, the things of good report, of virtues and praise. How would our lives truly be if we did this? Think about it for a long moment. Our minds get so caught up in things that depress us and drag us down into ourselves. Our minds dwell on ourselves and our emotions at the moment. Our minds get wrapped up in the cares of this life so easily. We need to ask ourselves what we should be thinking, especially when we begin to think on things that are ungodly and things that take us away not towards the Lord. If for just tomorrow you woke up and told yourself that today by the grace of God you are going to think on things that are lovely and then tried to pull your thoughts towards the lovely things of God wouldn't it be great if it made a difference in your life, even a small difference because even a small difference when that difference is directed towards a life in God is a difference that matters whole a lot.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may we find our thinking what He would have it be now and forever.
Amen.
Sabbath Blessings!
We strive so much to fit in, to be right with the world around us. We strive to live our lives in such a way things seem to be right with all we do. Unfortunately there are as many ways that seem right to us as there are people in existence. We don't often see eye to eye. Even within our immediate families there is a constant (albeit lessened) sense of not always seeing eye to eye.
Friction. We live our lives filled with friction with one another and the varying perceptions of things we all have. Finding two people who agree on a mostly consistent basis is a rare thing- they usually become friends, but as we ALL know even the best of friends have falling outs. You've heard the saying I'm all right you're all wrong haven't you? It's the way we feel on a constant basis, we are right-- my opinions, my feelings, my way of thinking is somehow more right than yours-- but it's not. We are all striving to fit in, each of our minds holding thoughts unique to us and those thoughts don't always mesh with another's thoughts.
How would God have us think, or not think?
Mat 10:34 THINK NOT that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye THINK NOT the Son of man cometh.
Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye THINK ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Joh 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will THINK that he doeth God service.
Act 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought NOT TO THINK that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, NOT TO THINK of himself more highly than he ought to THINK; but to THINK soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us NOT TO THINK of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
1Co 8:2 And if any man THINK that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 1Co 8:3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to THINK any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God
Gal 6:3 For if a man THINK himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK on these things.
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, THINK it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
*
There are some really interesting and very enlightening scriptures here. I want to point out a few that pertain more to what I was talking about than others--
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, NOT TO THINK of himself more highly than he ought to THINK; but to THINK soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
We want to think more highly of ourselves than we should don't we? A lot of times we really do. We want to think we're *all that* and more. Our egos can sometimes grow so huge we constantly trip over them. We THINK more highly than we ought to and that gets us into trouble doesn't it? Seriously we have to note this don't we? When we begin to think we are something very special in and of ourselves outside of God's realm and God's control we are in grave danger. Grave danger meaning we are at risk of offending God by placing ourselves before Him. We have to take ourselves down a few notches and realize we are creations and by the grace of our Creator we have been given life and allowed the opportunity to surrender those lives to God.
1Co 8:2 And if any man THINK that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 1Co 8:3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to THINK any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God
Gal 6:3 For if a man THINK himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
We love to spout out our knowledge don't we? The words- 'I know' are very common to our tongues. I know this and I know that and I most certainly know all about the other thing. Pay attention to your words if you can and just try to note how often you say those two words- 'I know.' Loving God is much more important than knowing anything else at all. Loving God is everything. It's better for us to be known as one who loves God rather than be known as the one who knows of anything else.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK on these things.
We are told what to think on and it certainly isn't ourselves and our own knowledge. We are to think on the true things, the honest things, the just things, the pure things, the lovely things, the things of good report, of virtues and praise. How would our lives truly be if we did this? Think about it for a long moment. Our minds get so caught up in things that depress us and drag us down into ourselves. Our minds dwell on ourselves and our emotions at the moment. Our minds get wrapped up in the cares of this life so easily. We need to ask ourselves what we should be thinking, especially when we begin to think on things that are ungodly and things that take us away not towards the Lord. If for just tomorrow you woke up and told yourself that today by the grace of God you are going to think on things that are lovely and then tried to pull your thoughts towards the lovely things of God wouldn't it be great if it made a difference in your life, even a small difference because even a small difference when that difference is directed towards a life in God is a difference that matters whole a lot.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may we find our thinking what He would have it be now and forever.
Amen.
Sabbath Blessings!
Exercised by Chastening
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Heb 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Heb 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled
Exercised by chastening.
Our biggest hope as parents is that our children learn from their mistakes and sometimes even learn from the mistakes we've made so they don't have to go through the pain that making mistakes can bring. We need to learn from any chastening the Lord sends our way. If we don't learn then we will reap the rewards of not taking the lessons given to us by God. Being chastened by God isn't pleasant, it's a horrible experience, an experience that rips at our hearts and souls sending us into many a tailspin. The chastening is grievous and we can relate to that because we know what it feels like to be chastened by our parents or caregivers as we do wrong and need the chastening. Can you think of at least one incident of chastening in your life that you learned from? Sometimes we have a moment when we do something and we know in that moment of reckoning we vow to never do that thing again so that we don't have to experience the pain of being chastened. God wants us to learn from our mistakes. God wants to chasten us so that we learn and from that learning we will experience the peace of Christ's righteousness. We HAVE to open our hearts to God's chastening. Our first instinct is to run, to hide, to bury the pain, to do anything to get the horrible pain of chastening out of our lives. However sometimes we embrace the chastening to readily letting ourselves wallow in the pain of the chastening without learning from it. We get caught up in the wallowing and live our lives right there in the despair and pain without being exercised by it at all. We cry out why me?! And we keep crying that out daily. Christ cried out for God to take the cup from Him, but did so by saying not His own will be done, but God's. Our will isn't to suffer, but sometimes the suffering is for a reason beyond our comprehension and we have to let go and let God work His will in us and by His grace and guidance pray that we can be exercised by the chastening we suffer.
We have to lift up our hands when all they want to do is hang low and wallow. We have to take our feeble knees and lift them up high when all we want to do is fall down upon them and yes...wallow in our misery. We have to make a straight path for our feet and that path is Christ's path and keep on that path so that we will be healed. If we don't keep on God's path our entire lives will be lame, useless, the wallowing will consume us fully.
We must have peace with ALL men.
We must have holiness with ALL men.
We have to look and not just glance but really look hard for Christ in our lives so that we don't fail of the grace of God.
We have to make sure NO bitterness fills us and it will try, it will try very hard to consume us. Bitterness is an enemy of God it overshadows hope, it kills faith. We can't let bitterness take over our lives and it will try very hard to do so. Depression is a form of hopelessness and can lead to bitterness, we have to lift up our hands and knees, we have to make our paths straight, we have to follow peace and holiness with all others and we will see God because it's through God this is possible.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior may we cling to Christ even when we don't understand any of what is going on in our lives, even when the horrors of live assail us. By the Holy Spirit may we live grasping hold of Christ's righteousness now and forever.
Amen.
Heb 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Heb 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled
Exercised by chastening.
Our biggest hope as parents is that our children learn from their mistakes and sometimes even learn from the mistakes we've made so they don't have to go through the pain that making mistakes can bring. We need to learn from any chastening the Lord sends our way. If we don't learn then we will reap the rewards of not taking the lessons given to us by God. Being chastened by God isn't pleasant, it's a horrible experience, an experience that rips at our hearts and souls sending us into many a tailspin. The chastening is grievous and we can relate to that because we know what it feels like to be chastened by our parents or caregivers as we do wrong and need the chastening. Can you think of at least one incident of chastening in your life that you learned from? Sometimes we have a moment when we do something and we know in that moment of reckoning we vow to never do that thing again so that we don't have to experience the pain of being chastened. God wants us to learn from our mistakes. God wants to chasten us so that we learn and from that learning we will experience the peace of Christ's righteousness. We HAVE to open our hearts to God's chastening. Our first instinct is to run, to hide, to bury the pain, to do anything to get the horrible pain of chastening out of our lives. However sometimes we embrace the chastening to readily letting ourselves wallow in the pain of the chastening without learning from it. We get caught up in the wallowing and live our lives right there in the despair and pain without being exercised by it at all. We cry out why me?! And we keep crying that out daily. Christ cried out for God to take the cup from Him, but did so by saying not His own will be done, but God's. Our will isn't to suffer, but sometimes the suffering is for a reason beyond our comprehension and we have to let go and let God work His will in us and by His grace and guidance pray that we can be exercised by the chastening we suffer.
We have to lift up our hands when all they want to do is hang low and wallow. We have to take our feeble knees and lift them up high when all we want to do is fall down upon them and yes...wallow in our misery. We have to make a straight path for our feet and that path is Christ's path and keep on that path so that we will be healed. If we don't keep on God's path our entire lives will be lame, useless, the wallowing will consume us fully.
We must have peace with ALL men.
We must have holiness with ALL men.
We have to look and not just glance but really look hard for Christ in our lives so that we don't fail of the grace of God.
We have to make sure NO bitterness fills us and it will try, it will try very hard to consume us. Bitterness is an enemy of God it overshadows hope, it kills faith. We can't let bitterness take over our lives and it will try very hard to do so. Depression is a form of hopelessness and can lead to bitterness, we have to lift up our hands and knees, we have to make our paths straight, we have to follow peace and holiness with all others and we will see God because it's through God this is possible.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior may we cling to Christ even when we don't understand any of what is going on in our lives, even when the horrors of live assail us. By the Holy Spirit may we live grasping hold of Christ's righteousness now and forever.
Amen.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Finisher of Our Faith
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Lay aside every weight.
Lay aside the sin that easily besets us.
Run with patience the race before us.
Look to Jesus the author of our faith.
Look to Jesus the finisher of our faith.
Jesus whose joy before Him was the result of His sacrifice- eternal life for all those who would believe in Him.
Jesus who endured the cross- the suffering, the pain.
Jesus who despised the shame.
Jesus who is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We are to lay aside how much weight? EVERY.
We are to lay aside what that easily besets us? SIN.
We are to RUN with PATIENCE the race before us.
We are to look to JESUS the AUTHOR of our FAITH.
We are to look to JESUS the FINISHER of our FAITH.
It's not easy to lay aside the weight, the problems that upset us and weigh us down. We like to cling to the problems and worry over them, we want to mull over them and get all the mileage off them we can. We want sympathy, we want justice, we want a lot of things but just setting aside the problems and worries that bother us isn't something easy to do. The sins that easily capture our attention and take over us aren't sins we want to give up readily or they wouldn't be sins that were easily besetting us. Laying aside these things that would keep us from running the race before us, and running it with patience isn't something we can do on our own. We need Jesus, we need to LOOK to Jesus. We need to take our eyes off ourselves and look to Jesus. Jesus is the author of our faith. Jesus created our faith and Jesus will be there at the end of our faith when the substance of things hoped for are realized in Jesus.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior may we look ever to Him and not to ourselves.
Amen.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Lay aside every weight.
Lay aside the sin that easily besets us.
Run with patience the race before us.
Look to Jesus the author of our faith.
Look to Jesus the finisher of our faith.
Jesus whose joy before Him was the result of His sacrifice- eternal life for all those who would believe in Him.
Jesus who endured the cross- the suffering, the pain.
Jesus who despised the shame.
Jesus who is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We are to lay aside how much weight? EVERY.
We are to lay aside what that easily besets us? SIN.
We are to RUN with PATIENCE the race before us.
We are to look to JESUS the AUTHOR of our FAITH.
We are to look to JESUS the FINISHER of our FAITH.
It's not easy to lay aside the weight, the problems that upset us and weigh us down. We like to cling to the problems and worry over them, we want to mull over them and get all the mileage off them we can. We want sympathy, we want justice, we want a lot of things but just setting aside the problems and worries that bother us isn't something easy to do. The sins that easily capture our attention and take over us aren't sins we want to give up readily or they wouldn't be sins that were easily besetting us. Laying aside these things that would keep us from running the race before us, and running it with patience isn't something we can do on our own. We need Jesus, we need to LOOK to Jesus. We need to take our eyes off ourselves and look to Jesus. Jesus is the author of our faith. Jesus created our faith and Jesus will be there at the end of our faith when the substance of things hoped for are realized in Jesus.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior may we look ever to Him and not to ourselves.
Amen.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Boldness to enter into the holiest
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh
In the Old Testament before the Messiah came the sanctuary service was the only way a person could find their way to God.
Psa 77:13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
God who is to be first and foremost in the lives of everyone (Deu 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul), set up the sanctuary service so that when a man disobeyed God and sinned he had a way to find forgiveness and be made one with God again. No man was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place. The only person allowed into the Most Holy Place was the High Priest and then only one time a year. The Most Holy Place where God's presence was on earth. The full way to God was denied to the common man because no animal sacrifice could ever fully atone for the sins against God. Jesus came made it possible for us to have complete atonement in Him.
A veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place and Jesus' flesh, Jesus' death gave us a new way to God all in Him and through Him. Such a miracle! Such an amazing miracle was wrought for us. The blessing we have to be alive knowing that a way to God has been made for us is something so awesome and yet so many take it for granted. We need to boldly come before God, with the blood of Jesus forever before us knowing that it's only through His sacrifice that we can do so, only through the righteousness of our Lord and Savior.
May God bless us, may the Holy Spirit guide us before Him by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, forever and ever.
Amen.
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh
In the Old Testament before the Messiah came the sanctuary service was the only way a person could find their way to God.
Psa 77:13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
God who is to be first and foremost in the lives of everyone (Deu 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul), set up the sanctuary service so that when a man disobeyed God and sinned he had a way to find forgiveness and be made one with God again. No man was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place. The only person allowed into the Most Holy Place was the High Priest and then only one time a year. The Most Holy Place where God's presence was on earth. The full way to God was denied to the common man because no animal sacrifice could ever fully atone for the sins against God. Jesus came made it possible for us to have complete atonement in Him.
A veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place and Jesus' flesh, Jesus' death gave us a new way to God all in Him and through Him. Such a miracle! Such an amazing miracle was wrought for us. The blessing we have to be alive knowing that a way to God has been made for us is something so awesome and yet so many take it for granted. We need to boldly come before God, with the blood of Jesus forever before us knowing that it's only through His sacrifice that we can do so, only through the righteousness of our Lord and Savior.
May God bless us, may the Holy Spirit guide us before Him by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, forever and ever.
Amen.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Who have you provoked today?
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works
Who have you provoked today?
We tend to think of provoking as a bad thing, just look at the dictionary definition.
provoke (pre-vok´) verb, transitive
provoked, provoking, provokes
1. To incite to anger or resentment.
2. To stir to action or feeling.
3. To give rise to; evoke: provoke laughter.
4. To bring about deliberately; induce: provoke a fight.
The first meaning given is 'to incite anger or resentment'. However let's look at the subsequent meanings. 'To stir to action or feeling', that's not so bad, right? Neither is this meaning, 'to give rise to, evoke: provoke laughter.' Then again this one isn't so inspiriing in a positive way, 'to bring about deliberately; induce: provoke a fight.' When the Bible tells us this- 'provoke unto love and to good works' this is a very good thing. How are we to help each other? Provoking each other to love and good works is an amazing thing. Inciting good, stirring up good works, giving rise to love, deliberately inducing love and good works these are amazing thing and how many of us do this? How many of us provoke another person to love and good works? It's easy to provoke mischief. A simple cross word from us can incite dissent and bad feelings, can a simple loving word do the opposite? Do loving words come easy to us or do criticizing words slip more readily from our tongues? Provoking unto love and to good works. What would happen if we determined to provoke someone to love and good works today, tomorrow, everyday we live? It's a thought isn't it? The next time a cross word spills from our lips let's instantly remember this verse and see if we can't provoke love before we provoke anything else.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior we can learn to provoke to love and good works. May the love of God fill us fully, may the forgiveness of Jesus wash over us all creating clean hearts within us. May the righteousness of Christ fill our hearts, our minds, all of us so that we may be His fully and that His will may be done within us now and always.
Amen.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works
Who have you provoked today?
We tend to think of provoking as a bad thing, just look at the dictionary definition.
provoke (pre-vok´) verb, transitive
provoked, provoking, provokes
1. To incite to anger or resentment.
2. To stir to action or feeling.
3. To give rise to; evoke: provoke laughter.
4. To bring about deliberately; induce: provoke a fight.
The first meaning given is 'to incite anger or resentment'. However let's look at the subsequent meanings. 'To stir to action or feeling', that's not so bad, right? Neither is this meaning, 'to give rise to, evoke: provoke laughter.' Then again this one isn't so inspiriing in a positive way, 'to bring about deliberately; induce: provoke a fight.' When the Bible tells us this- 'provoke unto love and to good works' this is a very good thing. How are we to help each other? Provoking each other to love and good works is an amazing thing. Inciting good, stirring up good works, giving rise to love, deliberately inducing love and good works these are amazing thing and how many of us do this? How many of us provoke another person to love and good works? It's easy to provoke mischief. A simple cross word from us can incite dissent and bad feelings, can a simple loving word do the opposite? Do loving words come easy to us or do criticizing words slip more readily from our tongues? Provoking unto love and to good works. What would happen if we determined to provoke someone to love and good works today, tomorrow, everyday we live? It's a thought isn't it? The next time a cross word spills from our lips let's instantly remember this verse and see if we can't provoke love before we provoke anything else.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior we can learn to provoke to love and good works. May the love of God fill us fully, may the forgiveness of Jesus wash over us all creating clean hearts within us. May the righteousness of Christ fill our hearts, our minds, all of us so that we may be His fully and that His will may be done within us now and always.
Amen.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Unto them that look for him shall he appear
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Unto them that look for him.
Are you looking for Jesus Christ? What do you do when you look for someone? Looking is an active pursuit not passive. You can't say you are looking for someone with your eyes closed, everyone would know that you're lying. You can't see with your eyes closed. Telling someone to look for something they can't see is a fool's game, right? It's like telling someone to look for the very breath they are breathing. We are to look for a very real Jesus Christ to return and for those of us who are looking we will see him again because He will appear to us and when He appears it will be without the sin He took upon Himself for us because the atonement will be complete. The heavenly sanctuary service will have been fulfilled.
We can't take our minds off Christ's appearing it needs to be ever before us. Our lives must be lived under the constant assurance that Christ will appear to us again as long as we look for Him.
When we fear retribution we often hide from the source of that retribution. Our looking for Jesus is like looking for love, true love that is beyond anything we can ever imagine. We can't fear the coming of the Lord, we have to live daily in hope of His return.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior may we look for His return, look for Him in a very real way to appear to us. Let us keep Him ever before us.
Amen.
Unto them that look for him.
Are you looking for Jesus Christ? What do you do when you look for someone? Looking is an active pursuit not passive. You can't say you are looking for someone with your eyes closed, everyone would know that you're lying. You can't see with your eyes closed. Telling someone to look for something they can't see is a fool's game, right? It's like telling someone to look for the very breath they are breathing. We are to look for a very real Jesus Christ to return and for those of us who are looking we will see him again because He will appear to us and when He appears it will be without the sin He took upon Himself for us because the atonement will be complete. The heavenly sanctuary service will have been fulfilled.
We can't take our minds off Christ's appearing it needs to be ever before us. Our lives must be lived under the constant assurance that Christ will appear to us again as long as we look for Him.
When we fear retribution we often hide from the source of that retribution. Our looking for Jesus is like looking for love, true love that is beyond anything we can ever imagine. We can't fear the coming of the Lord, we have to live daily in hope of His return.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior may we look for His return, look for Him in a very real way to appear to us. Let us keep Him ever before us.
Amen.
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