Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
*
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
When we judge people we tend to judge them pessimistically don't we? Our judging leads more to condemnation than compassion. Why do you suppose that is? Why do people like scandals? Why do people inwardly cheer at the misfortune of others? You don't? They don't? On national television- on a very popular show millions of people watch a man once looked at someone who seemed to be genuinely nice and wish well for the competitors they were up against and this man seemed amused and slightly disbelieving of the nice person. Asking with that amused incrediblity if that person really, really were being sincere the man went on to say that it's just not done that way- people don't just wish for the best for others but rather are more cutthroat wanting their competitors to falter and fail so they win.
It's sad isn't it? That a lot of us are taught from a young age to be competitive about life and most aspects of it. As soon as we realize that those who excel at things- sports, academics, appearance, etc- are commended and rewarded we strive towards those things and if we fail through our own faults or no fault of our own, we feel substandard and this feeling creates a long to succeed and if another falters or fails then all the better because that means that maybe, just maybe we might have a chance to succeed or in the least it means they might get a taste of a loser's life by experiencing some of the pain failing brings.
Judge not that ye be not judged. When we stop judging others- searching for the faults, pointing out failures, when we stop exalting ourselves at the expense of others, when we just cease to look at others with a judgemental attitude we have to realize that we will be judged the same. Do we really want to be judged as we are judging?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
When we can claim perfection (which will not happen as long as we are living in this sin-filled world) we can judge others but until then we can't worry about others- judging them. Our plates are filled to the brim with the many beams in our own eyes needing to be cast out.
May God help us to recognize our judgmental moments and help us to turn that judgment on to ourselves realizing that another's failing will never in anyway somehow make us and better and vice versa, another's success does not mean we are failures.
We are all sinners needing the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and that is the bottom line. No matter what kind of life we lead- successful or not in the world's eyes-- we don't stand before the world to be judge we stand before God and by the grace of Jesus Christ may He stand in our place as we cling to Him and trust in His redemption for us.
Amen.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Don't borrow trouble.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Don't borrow trouble.
By the grace of God may we heed this command.
Don't borrow trouble.
By the grace of God may we heed this command.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Commanded to Love
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Jesus' commandments--
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.
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Note- Raca- worthless one - vilification.
Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Mat 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Mat 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Mat 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mat 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mat 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Mat 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
Mat 5:35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
Mat 5:36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
Mat 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil
To say that Jesus had no commands for us would be false. Jesus had a lot of commands that some like to call advice so that they can either choose to follow the advice or not without too much of a consequence. A command, an order, sounds so much more demanding doesn't it? To say you're given advice automatically leaves room to choose one way or another because it's just advice. Given a command is an order you must follow or there will be consquences. We don't like to have consequences based upon our actions. We like to have leeway. If we make a mistake we want someone there to say it was an honest mistake. If we don't take advice, well it was an honest mistake not to. Consequences. We live in a society that doesn't want any of those. We want mollification, we want to be coddled and reassured that we're good no matter what bad we might do. This isn't to say that there aren't those who truly make *honest* mistakes, but in truth many mistakes could be avoided if the advice was followed, right? Commands. Somehow that sounds better than Commandments. Commandments sounds so demanding and permanent, a command sounds a bit less rigid and something much more temporary. A command seems like it could be given once and commandments seem more like something meant to be followed endlessly.
Jesus gives us plenty of commandments to follow an ultimately they all revolve around two central commandments-
Love God.
Love Man.
Seriously. There isn't a single commandment from Jesus that doesn't revolve either around loving God or loving our fellow man. There's no wonder about that really though is there? Because God is...LOVE. We're the ones that have warped love into something almost unthinkable unless it's total SELF love which even then isn't really love because selfishness isn't loving yourself. You actually love yourself more when you love God and others. Selfishness, self-love in that respect is the fartherest thing from real love as you can get.
May God grant us the wisdom and understanding to realize that all that He asks of us is out of love, not to restrict us from things that are good for us. May the love of God be realized in us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, by His grace and mercy towards us sinners who while striving to do all that He asks, realizes it's only through Him that any of it really matters.
Amen.
Jesus' commandments--
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.
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Note- Raca- worthless one - vilification.
Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Mat 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Mat 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Mat 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mat 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mat 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Mat 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
Mat 5:35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
Mat 5:36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
Mat 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil
To say that Jesus had no commands for us would be false. Jesus had a lot of commands that some like to call advice so that they can either choose to follow the advice or not without too much of a consequence. A command, an order, sounds so much more demanding doesn't it? To say you're given advice automatically leaves room to choose one way or another because it's just advice. Given a command is an order you must follow or there will be consquences. We don't like to have consequences based upon our actions. We like to have leeway. If we make a mistake we want someone there to say it was an honest mistake. If we don't take advice, well it was an honest mistake not to. Consequences. We live in a society that doesn't want any of those. We want mollification, we want to be coddled and reassured that we're good no matter what bad we might do. This isn't to say that there aren't those who truly make *honest* mistakes, but in truth many mistakes could be avoided if the advice was followed, right? Commands. Somehow that sounds better than Commandments. Commandments sounds so demanding and permanent, a command sounds a bit less rigid and something much more temporary. A command seems like it could be given once and commandments seem more like something meant to be followed endlessly.
Jesus gives us plenty of commandments to follow an ultimately they all revolve around two central commandments-
Love God.
Love Man.
Seriously. There isn't a single commandment from Jesus that doesn't revolve either around loving God or loving our fellow man. There's no wonder about that really though is there? Because God is...LOVE. We're the ones that have warped love into something almost unthinkable unless it's total SELF love which even then isn't really love because selfishness isn't loving yourself. You actually love yourself more when you love God and others. Selfishness, self-love in that respect is the fartherest thing from real love as you can get.
May God grant us the wisdom and understanding to realize that all that He asks of us is out of love, not to restrict us from things that are good for us. May the love of God be realized in us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, by His grace and mercy towards us sinners who while striving to do all that He asks, realizes it's only through Him that any of it really matters.
Amen.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Twisted Mentalities
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Blessed are they that do his commandments.
And Jesus says--
Blessed are the poor in spirit
Blessed are they that mourn
Blessed are the meek
Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness
Blessed are the merciful
Blessed are the pure in heart
Blessed are the peacemakers
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you false for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven.
Poor in spirit, mourning, meekness, hunger and thirst for what is good, persecuted, reviled, accused falsely- these are blessed. A total contradiction to how we envision life. We are told to be anything but meek, to have our spirits lifted up and, to leave off mourning, to do what we want as long as we don't hurt anyone- but by all means don't deprive ourselves of any desire. We are taught to detest any sort of persecution and to fight tooth and nail for our right not to be persecuted and to have any persecutors prosecuted by the law. We are raised to HATE the things that Christ says we are blessed by experiencing. We are taught to live for the here and now not for some fictitious, highly unlikely reward that may or may not be in heaven for us.
People want to say that Satan doesn't rule, they want to say that mankind hasn't allowed itself to be corrupted by Satan, they want Satan out of the picture altogether as fictitious as the mythical heaven. It is Satan, the father of lies that has infilterated the hearts and souls of people corrupting them fully until all that is truly blessed and good is made to seem hateful.
Truthfully, Jesus couldn't have LIKED being persecuted, and can't like to have those who love Him and seek His righteousness persecuted. Liking it isn't the issue, realizing that it will exist for as long as the battle between good and evil goes on is important. Understanding the facts of what we face is very important. With our tendencies to fight back and give as good as we are given, to be hateful to those that are hateful to us, with this sort of response praised and exalted it won't be easy at all to love the way Jesus would have us love, to love as He loved.
Christ allowed Himself to be tortured and killed when He could have fought back. He was righteouse, He was sinless, He was innocent of any crime and yet He did not call witnesses to come to His defense, He did not bring out the facts, He did not flaunt the miracles He performed. Jesus had EVERY right to fight- He had innocence on His side- yet He chose not to fight. We call that being a coward and a fool, we call people cowards and fools who allow themselves to be mistreated and walked all over. Christ was not a coward or a fool.
Our mentalities have been twisted and looking at ourselves and demanding we be treated right, with respect due to us, we forget all about Christ.
Love, truth, righteousness, faith these are God, these are Jesus, these are the things we long for and are offered by the Holy Spirit, the comforter sent to us by Christ.
There is a reward in heaven, it is real. You can't believe in God and not believe in Satan. You can't believe in God and not believe in heaven. You can't believe in God and not believe in love.
May God grant us His mercy and His righteousness by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, now and forever in Him.
Amen.
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Blessed are they that do his commandments.
And Jesus says--
Blessed are the poor in spirit
Blessed are they that mourn
Blessed are the meek
Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness
Blessed are the merciful
Blessed are the pure in heart
Blessed are the peacemakers
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you false for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven.
Poor in spirit, mourning, meekness, hunger and thirst for what is good, persecuted, reviled, accused falsely- these are blessed. A total contradiction to how we envision life. We are told to be anything but meek, to have our spirits lifted up and, to leave off mourning, to do what we want as long as we don't hurt anyone- but by all means don't deprive ourselves of any desire. We are taught to detest any sort of persecution and to fight tooth and nail for our right not to be persecuted and to have any persecutors prosecuted by the law. We are raised to HATE the things that Christ says we are blessed by experiencing. We are taught to live for the here and now not for some fictitious, highly unlikely reward that may or may not be in heaven for us.
People want to say that Satan doesn't rule, they want to say that mankind hasn't allowed itself to be corrupted by Satan, they want Satan out of the picture altogether as fictitious as the mythical heaven. It is Satan, the father of lies that has infilterated the hearts and souls of people corrupting them fully until all that is truly blessed and good is made to seem hateful.
Truthfully, Jesus couldn't have LIKED being persecuted, and can't like to have those who love Him and seek His righteousness persecuted. Liking it isn't the issue, realizing that it will exist for as long as the battle between good and evil goes on is important. Understanding the facts of what we face is very important. With our tendencies to fight back and give as good as we are given, to be hateful to those that are hateful to us, with this sort of response praised and exalted it won't be easy at all to love the way Jesus would have us love, to love as He loved.
Christ allowed Himself to be tortured and killed when He could have fought back. He was righteouse, He was sinless, He was innocent of any crime and yet He did not call witnesses to come to His defense, He did not bring out the facts, He did not flaunt the miracles He performed. Jesus had EVERY right to fight- He had innocence on His side- yet He chose not to fight. We call that being a coward and a fool, we call people cowards and fools who allow themselves to be mistreated and walked all over. Christ was not a coward or a fool.
Our mentalities have been twisted and looking at ourselves and demanding we be treated right, with respect due to us, we forget all about Christ.
Love, truth, righteousness, faith these are God, these are Jesus, these are the things we long for and are offered by the Holy Spirit, the comforter sent to us by Christ.
There is a reward in heaven, it is real. You can't believe in God and not believe in Satan. You can't believe in God and not believe in heaven. You can't believe in God and not believe in love.
May God grant us His mercy and His righteousness by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, now and forever in Him.
Amen.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Cling to Christ
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Buy- faith
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ
Buy- white raiment
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints
Buy- eye salve
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints
Act 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. ''
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.
1Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him
1Jn 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
1Jn 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
*******
We are often rebuke, often chastened and it's out of love. Does it always feel as if it's out of love? No. When we're rebuked the first instinct is to justify ourselves, our actions. When we are chastened it feels uncomfortable to say the least. No one likes to be wrong, to be found in need of rebuking and chastening. Yet out of love we are rebuked, we are chastened. Our lives are not such that any of us can escape the rebuking and chastening of God. Those who believe that they have such perfection in their lives need the chastening and rebuking even more. It is Christ who is perfect and Christ we need to rely on.
God is love, and we have to believe God is- that love is. We have to have faith in God, it's impossible to please Him without faith in Him, without believing in Him, which is believing in love.
We are counseled to buy faith, Christ's righteousness, and understanding. To seek these things surrounds us in the love of God. Too many want to believe that Satan has no power, but he has great power to deceive. We need our eyes opened- 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.
Turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God. We need God, we need love, the two are impossible to separate- and we need to believe in the truth of Jesus' love and mercy, His grace given to us out of love. We need to believe. Without believing we can never please God- because without believing in God, which is believing in love, there is nothing. Many today don't believe, they choose not to believe and they are lost to Satan and his deceptiveness - living a life that is filled with the false love Satan encourages- passing it off as true love. What good is a counterfiet if it doesn't mimic the true so closely only those expert in the true can spy it? We have this warning that we should all heed--
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Let us hold fast to our faith in God, in love which is God. Let us cling to the righteousness of our Savior's love for us, for it is truth.
By His mercy and grace we are saved.
Amen.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Buy- faith
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ
Buy- white raiment
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints
Buy- eye salve
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints
Act 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. ''
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.
1Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him
1Jn 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
1Jn 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
*******
We are often rebuke, often chastened and it's out of love. Does it always feel as if it's out of love? No. When we're rebuked the first instinct is to justify ourselves, our actions. When we are chastened it feels uncomfortable to say the least. No one likes to be wrong, to be found in need of rebuking and chastening. Yet out of love we are rebuked, we are chastened. Our lives are not such that any of us can escape the rebuking and chastening of God. Those who believe that they have such perfection in their lives need the chastening and rebuking even more. It is Christ who is perfect and Christ we need to rely on.
God is love, and we have to believe God is- that love is. We have to have faith in God, it's impossible to please Him without faith in Him, without believing in Him, which is believing in love.
We are counseled to buy faith, Christ's righteousness, and understanding. To seek these things surrounds us in the love of God. Too many want to believe that Satan has no power, but he has great power to deceive. We need our eyes opened- 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.
Turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God. We need God, we need love, the two are impossible to separate- and we need to believe in the truth of Jesus' love and mercy, His grace given to us out of love. We need to believe. Without believing we can never please God- because without believing in God, which is believing in love, there is nothing. Many today don't believe, they choose not to believe and they are lost to Satan and his deceptiveness - living a life that is filled with the false love Satan encourages- passing it off as true love. What good is a counterfiet if it doesn't mimic the true so closely only those expert in the true can spy it? We have this warning that we should all heed--
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Let us hold fast to our faith in God, in love which is God. Let us cling to the righteousness of our Savior's love for us, for it is truth.
By His mercy and grace we are saved.
Amen.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Faith in Adversity
Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Rev 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Faithful and true.
The two things we need - faith and truth.
Believing in things unseen, believing in God even when we do not understand a single thing we have faith. Believing in the truth and what is the truth, Jesus is the truth.
In all our lives there can be so much confusion, so much controversy and things we don't understand at all whatsoever but by faith we can please God. Trusting in God, trusting in all that God is. Having faith in God beyond all understanding. Knowing the truth is found in Christ.
All else will fail. It will. Make no mistake. A mistake lies in thinking that things won't fail here and now on earth. The mistake lies in believing that life should some how be fair, that because we believe in God we should have it just a little bit easier now. The truth is that Christ suffered and we should expect nothing more. Seriously. People talk of prosperity and such and say if only you believe, and to trust in God things will get better, but if we are going to trust in God we have to expect that our road we have to walk here and now will not be easy, will not be better. The only thing we can hope to get better is our faith. The only thing we can strive for is a strengthening of our faith through each trial and not a weakening of it as Satan seeks. Every single trial thrown at us whether it's a trial that lasts a single day or one that last years, is set up to either weaken or strengthen us. We cry no fair, God shouldn't allow this to happen and as soon as that thought crosses our mind we are allowing the trial to weaken us, we are allowing Satan to slip in with the doubts about the love of God. When he slips that in the door is open for it to grow.
Faith beyond any doubt no matter what happens. May God grant us this faith and help us to find a growing faith through every trial big or small so that we may live in the truth of Jesus, of Christ's righteousness and not our own. Through Him, in Him, now and forever. By the grace and mercy of our Lord!
Amen.
Rev 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Faithful and true.
The two things we need - faith and truth.
Believing in things unseen, believing in God even when we do not understand a single thing we have faith. Believing in the truth and what is the truth, Jesus is the truth.
In all our lives there can be so much confusion, so much controversy and things we don't understand at all whatsoever but by faith we can please God. Trusting in God, trusting in all that God is. Having faith in God beyond all understanding. Knowing the truth is found in Christ.
All else will fail. It will. Make no mistake. A mistake lies in thinking that things won't fail here and now on earth. The mistake lies in believing that life should some how be fair, that because we believe in God we should have it just a little bit easier now. The truth is that Christ suffered and we should expect nothing more. Seriously. People talk of prosperity and such and say if only you believe, and to trust in God things will get better, but if we are going to trust in God we have to expect that our road we have to walk here and now will not be easy, will not be better. The only thing we can hope to get better is our faith. The only thing we can strive for is a strengthening of our faith through each trial and not a weakening of it as Satan seeks. Every single trial thrown at us whether it's a trial that lasts a single day or one that last years, is set up to either weaken or strengthen us. We cry no fair, God shouldn't allow this to happen and as soon as that thought crosses our mind we are allowing the trial to weaken us, we are allowing Satan to slip in with the doubts about the love of God. When he slips that in the door is open for it to grow.
Faith beyond any doubt no matter what happens. May God grant us this faith and help us to find a growing faith through every trial big or small so that we may live in the truth of Jesus, of Christ's righteousness and not our own. Through Him, in Him, now and forever. By the grace and mercy of our Lord!
Amen.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Hold Fast
Pro 4:13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
2Ti 1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
Heb 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Rev 2:25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Rev 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
*******
Hold fast.
Hang on.
Wait.
Be patience.
Rev.2:25
Hold Fast--
G2902 (Thayer's Greek Lexicon)
krateo?
krat-eh'-o
From G2904; to use strength, that is, seize or retain (literally or figuratively): - hold (by, fast), keep, lay hand (hold) on, obtain, retain, take (by).
Obtain, retain, keep.
Rev. 3:3
G5083 (Thayer's Greek Lexicon)
te?reo?
tay-reh'-o
From ?????? teros (a watch; perhaps akin to G2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from G5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from G2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), that is, to note (a prophecy; figuratively to fulfil a command); by implication to detain (in custody; figuratively to maintain); by extension to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively to keep unmarried): - hold fast, keep (-er), (ob-, pre-, re) serve, watch.
Guard, watch so it doesn't escape, hold in custody, maintain, keep, serve, watch.
If you're asked to hold fast to something what comes to mind? Someone wants you to keep hold of something so it doesn't get away, so you don't lose it, it's valuable. There are certain documents in life people are told to hold on to, not to lose because they're important. Yes, you could get replacements and some people do just that but it's a bothersome process. Sometimes there just are no replacements to something important given to you. A love letter from your wife or husband from years ago holding precious memories. You might say that's not important but the value is placed on it by the ones who gave it and keep it, right?
We are told to hold fast until Jesus comes. We are told to hold fast to what we've received through Jesus, to repent. We are told to hold fast and let no man take our crown. Hold fast to Jesus and all that is Jesus. Hold fast to Him, not to ourselves. Hold fast to Jesus' righteousness counting ours as filthy rags. We have to keep Jesus alive and real in our hearts, glorying and living in Him always even when our lives are a mess and they can be very, very, messy. Smile when your heart is breaking? Smile when the whole world hates you? Smile when you are dying? Smile when you live a life of pure misery? Smile? The smile only means that through the tears you can't help but shed you know this world is not the final world for you. You know this life is not the only life there is to look forward to. You know that the pain now is nothing compared to the glory in Christ that awaits and all this pain and agony is only temporary. Easy to say, hard to do. Only by the grace of God can we do it, can we live in Him as He will and when we try to stand by ourselves and claim victory of our own we will find it is a false victory, hollow and empty and it will crumble. The only hope of holding fast is in Christ, all for Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior now and forever.
Amen.
1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
2Ti 1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
Heb 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Rev 2:25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Rev 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
*******
Hold fast.
Hang on.
Wait.
Be patience.
Rev.2:25
Hold Fast--
G2902 (Thayer's Greek Lexicon)
krateo?
krat-eh'-o
From G2904; to use strength, that is, seize or retain (literally or figuratively): - hold (by, fast), keep, lay hand (hold) on, obtain, retain, take (by).
Obtain, retain, keep.
Rev. 3:3
G5083 (Thayer's Greek Lexicon)
te?reo?
tay-reh'-o
From ?????? teros (a watch; perhaps akin to G2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from G5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from G2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), that is, to note (a prophecy; figuratively to fulfil a command); by implication to detain (in custody; figuratively to maintain); by extension to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively to keep unmarried): - hold fast, keep (-er), (ob-, pre-, re) serve, watch.
Guard, watch so it doesn't escape, hold in custody, maintain, keep, serve, watch.
If you're asked to hold fast to something what comes to mind? Someone wants you to keep hold of something so it doesn't get away, so you don't lose it, it's valuable. There are certain documents in life people are told to hold on to, not to lose because they're important. Yes, you could get replacements and some people do just that but it's a bothersome process. Sometimes there just are no replacements to something important given to you. A love letter from your wife or husband from years ago holding precious memories. You might say that's not important but the value is placed on it by the ones who gave it and keep it, right?
We are told to hold fast until Jesus comes. We are told to hold fast to what we've received through Jesus, to repent. We are told to hold fast and let no man take our crown. Hold fast to Jesus and all that is Jesus. Hold fast to Him, not to ourselves. Hold fast to Jesus' righteousness counting ours as filthy rags. We have to keep Jesus alive and real in our hearts, glorying and living in Him always even when our lives are a mess and they can be very, very, messy. Smile when your heart is breaking? Smile when the whole world hates you? Smile when you are dying? Smile when you live a life of pure misery? Smile? The smile only means that through the tears you can't help but shed you know this world is not the final world for you. You know this life is not the only life there is to look forward to. You know that the pain now is nothing compared to the glory in Christ that awaits and all this pain and agony is only temporary. Easy to say, hard to do. Only by the grace of God can we do it, can we live in Him as He will and when we try to stand by ourselves and claim victory of our own we will find it is a false victory, hollow and empty and it will crumble. The only hope of holding fast is in Christ, all for Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior now and forever.
Amen.
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