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'
Time and again it strikes me how often we forget to 'look' for Christ's second coming. How many days can go be without a thought about Jesus returning to save us? It's easy to forget because we get so caught up in other things- life- as we call it, as if looking for the return of our Savior isn't 'life'. In fact, looking for the return of our Savior is MORE life than any other life we may have.
Think about how often you look forward to things, things that don't have a set date but rather you know are going to come just because of what time of year it is. Think about a visit with family or friends you're expecting. You can even think about scheduled appointments in your future. There is a certain amount of anticipation for the future events, not necessarily good anticipation for some it's more like looking with trepidation for what's going to take place. We look for things all the time because we KNOW they'll happen. We HAVE to look for Christ's return the SAME way. We have to look for it, not just keep it as an afterthought on a back burner in our minds. It needs to be on the front burner of our brains. The more we keep the fact of Christ's second coming on our mind the more it will keep us grounded in reality. The reality being that EVERYTHING here and now is but a moment in eternity. The good times will pass just as assuredly as the bad times, but Christ is forever!
Unto THEM … who???? THEM that LOOK FOR HIM! Christ will appear a second time without sin unto salvation!!! Sin will be a thing of the past! Sin will be overcome! Sinning will be NO MORE! We will have no more sin in us! Christ's righteousness will prevail over us. No more sin! Imagine… just imagine that.
We have to LOOK for Christ. Yes, we know He is and we know what He can do and has done, but we have to keep LOOKING, never stop looking! If we ever stop looking for our Savior's return we will be in danger and we can't afford to be in danger.
Looking for Christ's second coming is a beautiful thing- not a creepy, cultish thing. People would have you believe only fools will go about talking of Jesus' second coming. Well all I have to say is let me be the biggest fool there is then.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, our beautiful Redeemer, in Him, in His righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Warn the Wicked
Eze 33:8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Eze 33:9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Warnings. We all know what warnings are. We start out learning about warnings when are growing up. Our first warnings probably come from our mother or father. We won't remember that first warning but we'll recall later ones. As parents we might remember giving warnings. In fact we might have heard or have been given a warning just today.
Don't do that…or…
If you do that…this will happen…
You better watch out or…
You understand what I'm saying. We aren't unfamiliar with warnings we live with them. We have warnings on packages, warnings on signs, warning lights on cars, when we drive we see warning lights on the road, we live with warnings. Even our bodies give us warning signals, a slight pain here warning of something more serious. A rash heralding an underlying disease, a persistent headache warning of a brain anomaly, you know what I mean.
Warnings.
'If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand'
Warn the wicked from their ways.
People don't like to be warned by others do they? Do you like to get warnings? Being told we're doing something wrong is NEVER fun.
It's not bad enough that we have to worry about our own eternal life we have an obligation to warn others about theirs. People who do this are liable to face a lot of ridicule, a lot of hassle because NO ONE wants to be told their eternal life is in jeopardy. No one wants to be judged and in reality we have no right to judge any one's eternal life, but we have to be able to judge actions don't we? If we didn't judge actions we wouldn't know right from wrong.
So yes, we have to warn the wicked from their wicked ways… we have to preach Jesus and salvation, right from wrong. And you know what, others might be preaching to us and we need to listen too. We can NEVER be holier than thou, NEVER. If our faults are made known to us we are obligated to fall to our knees and pray for forgiveness, repenting. Sometimes we are so caught up in looking at our own faults we don't take the time to warn others. It's not FUN to warn others. It's actually dangerous to warn others. We need to pray, to seek our Lord and Savior and ask for His loving guidance in our lives.
We want to be used of the Lord, we are accountable for ourselves to the Lord. By the grace of God may we be compelled to warn others as He would, not as we would, whether His way is more direct or less direct, let HIS will be done not ours. We just need to be aware that we are guilty of not warning others- even if the warning is the knowledge of Christ's soon coming and their need to prepare. While we don't want to be called fanatics you know what… a lot of Christ's followers are considered fanatics, troublemakers, rabble rousers, dissidents, crazies, freaks, abnormal. The Apostles were chased out of cities for their preaching, they were killed for their beliefs. We worry way too much about what others think of us when the only one that matters is God and what HE thinks of us.
Please Lord show us how to live for You. If there are those that need warning let us have the courage and faith in You to warn as You would have us do in Your way, not our way. Bless us Lord, keep us Lord, help us Lord. By Your grace, Your mercy, Your love now and forever!
Amen.
Eze 33:9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Warnings. We all know what warnings are. We start out learning about warnings when are growing up. Our first warnings probably come from our mother or father. We won't remember that first warning but we'll recall later ones. As parents we might remember giving warnings. In fact we might have heard or have been given a warning just today.
Don't do that…or…
If you do that…this will happen…
You better watch out or…
You understand what I'm saying. We aren't unfamiliar with warnings we live with them. We have warnings on packages, warnings on signs, warning lights on cars, when we drive we see warning lights on the road, we live with warnings. Even our bodies give us warning signals, a slight pain here warning of something more serious. A rash heralding an underlying disease, a persistent headache warning of a brain anomaly, you know what I mean.
Warnings.
'If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand'
Warn the wicked from their ways.
People don't like to be warned by others do they? Do you like to get warnings? Being told we're doing something wrong is NEVER fun.
It's not bad enough that we have to worry about our own eternal life we have an obligation to warn others about theirs. People who do this are liable to face a lot of ridicule, a lot of hassle because NO ONE wants to be told their eternal life is in jeopardy. No one wants to be judged and in reality we have no right to judge any one's eternal life, but we have to be able to judge actions don't we? If we didn't judge actions we wouldn't know right from wrong.
So yes, we have to warn the wicked from their wicked ways… we have to preach Jesus and salvation, right from wrong. And you know what, others might be preaching to us and we need to listen too. We can NEVER be holier than thou, NEVER. If our faults are made known to us we are obligated to fall to our knees and pray for forgiveness, repenting. Sometimes we are so caught up in looking at our own faults we don't take the time to warn others. It's not FUN to warn others. It's actually dangerous to warn others. We need to pray, to seek our Lord and Savior and ask for His loving guidance in our lives.
We want to be used of the Lord, we are accountable for ourselves to the Lord. By the grace of God may we be compelled to warn others as He would, not as we would, whether His way is more direct or less direct, let HIS will be done not ours. We just need to be aware that we are guilty of not warning others- even if the warning is the knowledge of Christ's soon coming and their need to prepare. While we don't want to be called fanatics you know what… a lot of Christ's followers are considered fanatics, troublemakers, rabble rousers, dissidents, crazies, freaks, abnormal. The Apostles were chased out of cities for their preaching, they were killed for their beliefs. We worry way too much about what others think of us when the only one that matters is God and what HE thinks of us.
Please Lord show us how to live for You. If there are those that need warning let us have the courage and faith in You to warn as You would have us do in Your way, not our way. Bless us Lord, keep us Lord, help us Lord. By Your grace, Your mercy, Your love now and forever!
Amen.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Spirit of A Man...
Pro 18:14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?
When I read this I was instantly struck by it's truth.
Why do some people overcome when others succumb to all trying situations in life? People will tell you it's the difference between their attitudes. They'll go further and say how courageous a dead person was because of their attitude as they dealt with their terminal illness. They'll say that Soandso died valiantly, fighting the good fight. However not everyone fights that good fight courageously. Some go kicking and screaming, miserable and totally wretched as they move through life's upsets - large and small, serious and non-serious, life-threatening and non-life-threatening.
Attitude- spirit of a man.
The spirit of a man can thrive or be wounded. You know what I'm talking about. We see wounded spirits all the time, we might even have a wounded spirit ourselves. It's the aching of the soul that feels the depth of pain physically or emotionally either, and despair sets in. Depression overtakes the spirit dragging it down into darkness not wanting any light to shine upon it because the despair shouts out the pain to everyone searching endlessly for sympathy, for understanding.
Now lest someone say that I don't understand at all, that depression is an illness that a person can't help, let me reply that I know that the complexity of the brain and it's chemical make-up are astounding and confounding and yes, depression can be an illness. That's what I'm talking about really- illnesses whether chronic or not, whether life-threatening or not, the spirit of a man plays a part in it all. A spirit can be wounded without any fault of a person, or through plenty of fault.
'A wounded spirit who can bear?' I feel for those who suffer medical depression because their wounded spirit is that much more in pain. Truly clinging by faith to our Lord's promise of life everlasting in Him is the saving grace when a wounded spirit is so crushed the infirmities of life seem overwhelming. To those whose spirit sustains them, how marvelous! Their attitude - their outlook on life- their ability to see beyond their infirmity is amazing and a blessing.
There are numerous sayings people hear all the time about life and the attitude we should possess throughout it.
Buck up.
Stick it out.
Be strong.
Chin up.
Look on the bright side.
You can add a lot to those few and yes, they are good advice that would be nice to be able to follow but sometimes we get discouraged and our spirit is wounded.
Is a wounded spirit good for us? NO. Not a single person will try to say depression or a damaged spirit is a good thing. More people are proven to heal better with a positive spirit, with a healthy, unwounded spirit.
When our spirit is wounded it needs to be repair by the greatest physician of all, God. He is the only one who can heal our wounded spirits and we need to cling to Him and find all our hope in HIM. Maybe our lives are falling apart with illness, finances, family, all of those, one of those and we're guaranteed not to get through life without things falling apart sooner or later, but we need to cling to the promise of a new life without all the anguish. Easy to say… I know.
I find it very interesting to read this though--
Pro 18:14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?
We can be sustained through our infirmities. We can be. The spirit in us the is the spirit part of us that connects with our Savior and through His strength we can be made strong through our infirmities. If our spirit is wounded we need to pray, pray, pray to be healed in spirit and then we will be able to endure our infirmities no matter the form they take.
May God bless us and keep us in Him, our spirits in Him now and always. By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior now and forever. Amen.
When I read this I was instantly struck by it's truth.
Why do some people overcome when others succumb to all trying situations in life? People will tell you it's the difference between their attitudes. They'll go further and say how courageous a dead person was because of their attitude as they dealt with their terminal illness. They'll say that Soandso died valiantly, fighting the good fight. However not everyone fights that good fight courageously. Some go kicking and screaming, miserable and totally wretched as they move through life's upsets - large and small, serious and non-serious, life-threatening and non-life-threatening.
Attitude- spirit of a man.
The spirit of a man can thrive or be wounded. You know what I'm talking about. We see wounded spirits all the time, we might even have a wounded spirit ourselves. It's the aching of the soul that feels the depth of pain physically or emotionally either, and despair sets in. Depression overtakes the spirit dragging it down into darkness not wanting any light to shine upon it because the despair shouts out the pain to everyone searching endlessly for sympathy, for understanding.
Now lest someone say that I don't understand at all, that depression is an illness that a person can't help, let me reply that I know that the complexity of the brain and it's chemical make-up are astounding and confounding and yes, depression can be an illness. That's what I'm talking about really- illnesses whether chronic or not, whether life-threatening or not, the spirit of a man plays a part in it all. A spirit can be wounded without any fault of a person, or through plenty of fault.
'A wounded spirit who can bear?' I feel for those who suffer medical depression because their wounded spirit is that much more in pain. Truly clinging by faith to our Lord's promise of life everlasting in Him is the saving grace when a wounded spirit is so crushed the infirmities of life seem overwhelming. To those whose spirit sustains them, how marvelous! Their attitude - their outlook on life- their ability to see beyond their infirmity is amazing and a blessing.
There are numerous sayings people hear all the time about life and the attitude we should possess throughout it.
Buck up.
Stick it out.
Be strong.
Chin up.
Look on the bright side.
You can add a lot to those few and yes, they are good advice that would be nice to be able to follow but sometimes we get discouraged and our spirit is wounded.
Is a wounded spirit good for us? NO. Not a single person will try to say depression or a damaged spirit is a good thing. More people are proven to heal better with a positive spirit, with a healthy, unwounded spirit.
When our spirit is wounded it needs to be repair by the greatest physician of all, God. He is the only one who can heal our wounded spirits and we need to cling to Him and find all our hope in HIM. Maybe our lives are falling apart with illness, finances, family, all of those, one of those and we're guaranteed not to get through life without things falling apart sooner or later, but we need to cling to the promise of a new life without all the anguish. Easy to say… I know.
I find it very interesting to read this though--
Pro 18:14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?
We can be sustained through our infirmities. We can be. The spirit in us the is the spirit part of us that connects with our Savior and through His strength we can be made strong through our infirmities. If our spirit is wounded we need to pray, pray, pray to be healed in spirit and then we will be able to endure our infirmities no matter the form they take.
May God bless us and keep us in Him, our spirits in Him now and always. By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior now and forever. Amen.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Repent
*******
Repent. When was the last time you repented? This one verse says sooooo much…
Luk 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he REPENT, forgive him.
Luk 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I REPENT; thou shalt forgive him.
IF he repent forgive him.
IF he commits the same offense over and over… and he REPENTS forgive him.
This says so much to us.
God forgives us as we forgive others.
Over and over and over again. Several times in one day. Repenting we need to truly repent not just assume we are forgiven without repenting. Not just ask for forgiveness without feeling the sorrow for our wrong. Not just ask for forgiveness because we KNOW what we've done is wrong. People know all the time what they do is wrong but they still do it without feeling any remorse at all whatsoever. We can't get to that place where we sin and stop feeling the remorse - if we do then we can't repent of that sin. It's better to live in sorrow for sin than to live in acceptance of sin. Better to feel the pain of sin than to cherish the relief of a painless existence and not repent, we can't be forgiven if we don't repent. Sometimes we feel as if we could live in pain forever our sinning is so great, but better to live in that pain and understand the transgressions, right? People want to have a happy, happy life. Anything for happiness. People will tell you that the Bible says we are suppose to live in joy… 'count it all joy' and that's true as well, but not joy in sin. We are to joy in Christ, in the forgiveness that Christ gives to us, in the life Christ offers us, the hope we find in Christ. We can't be happy in our own selves, but only in Christ and we need to learn that. We can repent and we can be forgiven and we can glory in Christ's unending grace but never believe that any sin we commit is acceptable and not worth repenting of.
May God open our hearts and our eyes to our sins so we can ask for the forgiveness we need to ask for, so that we can repent of those sins.
Maybe we'll keep sinning but that's no excuse to accept the sins, not ever. We have to fight the good fight against sin by seeking forgiveness and repenting always…always!
Please Lord bless us, keep us, help us, save us.
In Your love, through Your grace, by Your righteousness now and forever.
Amen.
*******
Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and REPENT in dust and ashes.
Eze 14:6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; REPENT, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Mat 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
Mat 3:2 And saying, REPENT ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, REPENTt: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Luk 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye REPENT, ye shall all likewise perish.
Luk 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he REPENT, forgive him.
Luk 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I REPENT; thou shalt forgive him.
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, REPENT, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 3:19 REPENT ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 8:22 REPENT therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to REPENT
Rev 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and REPENT, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou REPENT.
Rev 2:16 REPENT; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Rev 2:21 And I gave her space to REPENT of her fornication; and she REPENTED not.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they REPENT of their deeds.
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 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and REPENT.
*******
Repent
RE'PENT, a. [L. repo, to creep.] Creeping; as a repent root.
REPENT', v.i. [L. re and paeniteo, from paena, pain. Gr. See Paint.]
1. To feel pain, sorrow or regret for something done or spoken; as, to repent that we have lost much time in idleness or sensual pleasure; to repent that we have injured or wounded the feelings of a friend. A person repents only of what he himself has done or said.
2. To express sorrow for something past.
3. To change the mind in consequence of the inconvenience or injury done by past conduct.
Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return. Exo 13.
4. Applied to the Supreme Being, to change the course of providential dealings. Gen 6. Psa 106.
5. In theology, to sorrow or be pained for sin, as a violation of God's holy law, a dishonor to his character and government, and the foulest ingratitude to a Being of infinite benevolence.
Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Luke 13. Acts 3.
REPENT', v.t
1. To remember with sorrow; as, to repent rash words; to repent an injury done to a neighbor; to repent follies and vices. [See Repentance.]
G3340
µeta??e´?
metanoeo¯
met-an-o-eh'-o
From G3326 and G3539; to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider (morally to feel compunction): - repent.
G3338
µetaµe´???µa?
metamellomai
met-am-el'-lom-ahee
From G3326 and the middle of G3199; to care afterwards, that is, regret: - repent (self).
H5162
???
na^cham
naw-kham'
A primitive root; properly to sigh, that is, breathe strongly; by implication to be sorry, that is, (in a favorable sense) to pity, console or (reflexively) rue; or (unfavorably) to avenge (oneself): - comfort (self), ease [one’s self], repent (-er, -ing, self).
H7725
?????
shu^b
shoob
A primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbially again: - ([break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep]) X again, (cause to) answer (+ again), X in any case (wise), X at all, averse, bring (again, back, home again), call [to mind], carry again (back), cease, X certainly, come again (back) X consider, + continually, convert, deliver (again), + deny, draw back, fetch home again, X fro, get [oneself] (back) again, X give (again), go again (back, home), [go] out, hinder, let, [see] more, X needs, be past, X pay, pervert, pull in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), X repent, requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, + say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, X surely, take back (off), (cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again, backward, from, off), withdraw.
Repenting-
To be sorry.
To remember with sorrow.
To morally feel compunction.
Compunction--
1.
a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse.
2.
any uneasiness or hesitation about the rightness of an action.
Repent. When was the last time you repented? This one verse says sooooo much…
Luk 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he REPENT, forgive him.
Luk 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I REPENT; thou shalt forgive him.
IF he repent forgive him.
IF he commits the same offense over and over… and he REPENTS forgive him.
This says so much to us.
God forgives us as we forgive others.
Over and over and over again. Several times in one day. Repenting we need to truly repent not just assume we are forgiven without repenting. Not just ask for forgiveness without feeling the sorrow for our wrong. Not just ask for forgiveness because we KNOW what we've done is wrong. People know all the time what they do is wrong but they still do it without feeling any remorse at all whatsoever. We can't get to that place where we sin and stop feeling the remorse - if we do then we can't repent of that sin. It's better to live in sorrow for sin than to live in acceptance of sin. Better to feel the pain of sin than to cherish the relief of a painless existence and not repent, we can't be forgiven if we don't repent. Sometimes we feel as if we could live in pain forever our sinning is so great, but better to live in that pain and understand the transgressions, right? People want to have a happy, happy life. Anything for happiness. People will tell you that the Bible says we are suppose to live in joy… 'count it all joy' and that's true as well, but not joy in sin. We are to joy in Christ, in the forgiveness that Christ gives to us, in the life Christ offers us, the hope we find in Christ. We can't be happy in our own selves, but only in Christ and we need to learn that. We can repent and we can be forgiven and we can glory in Christ's unending grace but never believe that any sin we commit is acceptable and not worth repenting of.
May God open our hearts and our eyes to our sins so we can ask for the forgiveness we need to ask for, so that we can repent of those sins.
Maybe we'll keep sinning but that's no excuse to accept the sins, not ever. We have to fight the good fight against sin by seeking forgiveness and repenting always…always!
Please Lord bless us, keep us, help us, save us.
In Your love, through Your grace, by Your righteousness now and forever.
Amen.
*******
Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and REPENT in dust and ashes.
Eze 14:6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; REPENT, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Mat 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
Mat 3:2 And saying, REPENT ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, REPENTt: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Luk 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye REPENT, ye shall all likewise perish.
Luk 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he REPENT, forgive him.
Luk 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I REPENT; thou shalt forgive him.
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, REPENT, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 3:19 REPENT ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 8:22 REPENT therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to REPENT
Rev 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and REPENT, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou REPENT.
Rev 2:16 REPENT; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Rev 2:21 And I gave her space to REPENT of her fornication; and she REPENTED not.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they REPENT of their deeds.
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 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and REPENT.
*******
Repent
RE'PENT, a. [L. repo, to creep.] Creeping; as a repent root.
REPENT', v.i. [L. re and paeniteo, from paena, pain. Gr. See Paint.]
1. To feel pain, sorrow or regret for something done or spoken; as, to repent that we have lost much time in idleness or sensual pleasure; to repent that we have injured or wounded the feelings of a friend. A person repents only of what he himself has done or said.
2. To express sorrow for something past.
3. To change the mind in consequence of the inconvenience or injury done by past conduct.
Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return. Exo 13.
4. Applied to the Supreme Being, to change the course of providential dealings. Gen 6. Psa 106.
5. In theology, to sorrow or be pained for sin, as a violation of God's holy law, a dishonor to his character and government, and the foulest ingratitude to a Being of infinite benevolence.
Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Luke 13. Acts 3.
REPENT', v.t
1. To remember with sorrow; as, to repent rash words; to repent an injury done to a neighbor; to repent follies and vices. [See Repentance.]
G3340
µeta??e´?
metanoeo¯
met-an-o-eh'-o
From G3326 and G3539; to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider (morally to feel compunction): - repent.
G3338
µetaµe´???µa?
metamellomai
met-am-el'-lom-ahee
From G3326 and the middle of G3199; to care afterwards, that is, regret: - repent (self).
H5162
???
na^cham
naw-kham'
A primitive root; properly to sigh, that is, breathe strongly; by implication to be sorry, that is, (in a favorable sense) to pity, console or (reflexively) rue; or (unfavorably) to avenge (oneself): - comfort (self), ease [one’s self], repent (-er, -ing, self).
H7725
?????
shu^b
shoob
A primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbially again: - ([break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep]) X again, (cause to) answer (+ again), X in any case (wise), X at all, averse, bring (again, back, home again), call [to mind], carry again (back), cease, X certainly, come again (back) X consider, + continually, convert, deliver (again), + deny, draw back, fetch home again, X fro, get [oneself] (back) again, X give (again), go again (back, home), [go] out, hinder, let, [see] more, X needs, be past, X pay, pervert, pull in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), X repent, requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, + say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, X surely, take back (off), (cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again, backward, from, off), withdraw.
Repenting-
To be sorry.
To remember with sorrow.
To morally feel compunction.
Compunction--
1.
a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse.
2.
any uneasiness or hesitation about the rightness of an action.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Study to Be Quiet
1Th 4:11 '...study to be quiet'
Study-
G5389
f???t?µe´?µa?
philotimeomai
fil-ot-im-eh'-om-ahee
Middle voice from a compound of G5384 and G5092; to be fond of honor, that is, emulous (eager or earnest to do somethng.): - labour, strive, study.
Quiet-
G2270
??s??a´??
he¯suchazo¯
hay-soo-khad'-zo
From the same as G2272; to keep still (intransitively), that is, refrain from labor, meddlesomeness or speech: - cease, hold peace, be quiet, rest.
*******
We don't often hear exhortations like that do we? Study to be quiet.
Looking at the Greek definition of the words 'study' and 'quiet' we could also say… strive to rest, labour to hold peace, study to refrain from being meddlesome, strive not to talk.
Still in all, being told to 'study to be quiet' tells us something doesn't it? We are noisy, restless people who don't often find being quiet very easy. Some of us are chatterboxes and we laugh as we tell others how we love to talk and talk. We make light of it because-well- that's just how we are. How easy is it for us to jump into conversations that others might be having without us but we over hear the talking and have our opinion to share. For some, as soon as the thoughts form in their minds they are spouting them out without taking time to think. Have you ever had your mind going a mile a minute with one thought after another? Have you ever been bursting at the seams to just spill out the thoughts you're thinking? Do you find yourself saying 'excuse me' just so you can jump into a conversation, or maybe you don't even ask to be excuse you just start to interject something because you feel what you have to say is relevant. That's it, isn't it? We like to talk because we believe we have something to say others NEED to hear, or WANT to hear. If you didn't think others needed or wanted to hear what you had to say would you still be talking at them, wasting your breath as their eyes glaze over and you get the non-committal nod of half-listening but mostly not? Or perhaps you've been the victim of the angry growl- 'It's none of your business so stay out of it'.
When we talk do we need to be aware of the value of our words? We all know how easy words can turn a happy time into an awful time. We know that truly the tongue is a fire... 'Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity'. With this knowledge in mind, with this fire brand in our mouths ready to strike out and burn any and all around us we don't fully believe in it as something equated with a 'world of iniquity', if we did wouldn't we make a concerted effort to not 'flame' at others, not to let the wicked, sin-filled tongue in our mouths strike out?
Study to be quiet. Strive to be quiet. Labor to be quiet. This is telling us to WORK at being quiet that being quiet might not come quite so natural to us.
I've heard people say they follow of ten second rule, meaning that before they respond to ANYTHING even remotely controversial they'll silently count to ten while thinking about the consequences of the response they might make. That's a good rule, but maybe ten seconds isn't long enough in every situation. At other times as a red-faced, fuming, antagonizing person stands there waiting for a response- ten seconds might seem like five minutes. Giving instantaneous retorts is expected, you might even hear the words - 'Are you going to let them get away with saying that?', if not from others you might hear that from the little sneaky voice inside your head. How often do we respond to stuff harshly because we feel as if our pride has been wounded? We've been hurt by the fiery tongue of another so we feel justified in lashing right back to save our dignity, to preserve our honor, to uphold our selfish idea of the type of person we are and how we deserve to be treated.
Study to be quiet.
You've all heard the saying- 'Think before you speak.' If we 'think' before we speak we are taking time to contemplate the affect our words will have on the situation at hand.
If we are to 'study' to be quiet, we need to truly make an effort to be quiet, don't we?
I read this--
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Jas 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Every beast, bird, serpent, things of the sea are tamed… true? We wouldn't agree by our definition of tamed but if you think about it NO other creatures have tongues that speak, none! They are tamed by the definition they don't speak and cannot reason as mankind. Our tongues are untamed- no man can tame the tongue- at best we can 'study to be quiet', right?
Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Meekness of wisdom. Again, we equate being meek as being somehow inferior to being bold and outspoken and in our day and age we prize those who aren't afraid to stand up for themselves, we award those who debate successfully, we extol the virtues of not being meek but rather being bold. The meek get walked on, the meek are dominated, and yet… 'blessed are the meek'.
Our world is twisted and has raised up likewise twisted people. Ungodly, calling the virtues not truly acceptable by God, acceptable. Telling people to empower themselves- this world is so caught up in the devil's snares they think they are following God, if they would only bow down before our Creator, our Redeemer, and beg for forgiveness seeking to have their hearts and minds opened by the Holy Spirit to understand what God desires not what they desire, they would have hope. You can twist the truth until it fits like a square peg in a round hole by wearing down the sides of the square and forcing it to fit, but it won't ever be the peg that was supposed to fit into that hole, it will be a counterfeit that many will be deceived into believing is the true.
May God help us to 'study to be quiet', to be as He would have us be and not as we think we should be, or as the world tells us is acceptable to be. We need to be acceptable to God through the blood of Jesus Christ, through the righteousness of our Savior. We need to live in Him as He would have us live, not as we would naturally desire to live. We need to take up our crosses, we need to strive against sin, we need to cling to Christ and place all our hope, all our faith in Him fully.
By the grace and through the love of our Savior now and forever!
Amen.
Study-
G5389
f???t?µe´?µa?
philotimeomai
fil-ot-im-eh'-om-ahee
Middle voice from a compound of G5384 and G5092; to be fond of honor, that is, emulous (eager or earnest to do somethng.): - labour, strive, study.
Quiet-
G2270
??s??a´??
he¯suchazo¯
hay-soo-khad'-zo
From the same as G2272; to keep still (intransitively), that is, refrain from labor, meddlesomeness or speech: - cease, hold peace, be quiet, rest.
*******
We don't often hear exhortations like that do we? Study to be quiet.
Looking at the Greek definition of the words 'study' and 'quiet' we could also say… strive to rest, labour to hold peace, study to refrain from being meddlesome, strive not to talk.
Still in all, being told to 'study to be quiet' tells us something doesn't it? We are noisy, restless people who don't often find being quiet very easy. Some of us are chatterboxes and we laugh as we tell others how we love to talk and talk. We make light of it because-well- that's just how we are. How easy is it for us to jump into conversations that others might be having without us but we over hear the talking and have our opinion to share. For some, as soon as the thoughts form in their minds they are spouting them out without taking time to think. Have you ever had your mind going a mile a minute with one thought after another? Have you ever been bursting at the seams to just spill out the thoughts you're thinking? Do you find yourself saying 'excuse me' just so you can jump into a conversation, or maybe you don't even ask to be excuse you just start to interject something because you feel what you have to say is relevant. That's it, isn't it? We like to talk because we believe we have something to say others NEED to hear, or WANT to hear. If you didn't think others needed or wanted to hear what you had to say would you still be talking at them, wasting your breath as their eyes glaze over and you get the non-committal nod of half-listening but mostly not? Or perhaps you've been the victim of the angry growl- 'It's none of your business so stay out of it'.
When we talk do we need to be aware of the value of our words? We all know how easy words can turn a happy time into an awful time. We know that truly the tongue is a fire... 'Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity'. With this knowledge in mind, with this fire brand in our mouths ready to strike out and burn any and all around us we don't fully believe in it as something equated with a 'world of iniquity', if we did wouldn't we make a concerted effort to not 'flame' at others, not to let the wicked, sin-filled tongue in our mouths strike out?
Study to be quiet. Strive to be quiet. Labor to be quiet. This is telling us to WORK at being quiet that being quiet might not come quite so natural to us.
I've heard people say they follow of ten second rule, meaning that before they respond to ANYTHING even remotely controversial they'll silently count to ten while thinking about the consequences of the response they might make. That's a good rule, but maybe ten seconds isn't long enough in every situation. At other times as a red-faced, fuming, antagonizing person stands there waiting for a response- ten seconds might seem like five minutes. Giving instantaneous retorts is expected, you might even hear the words - 'Are you going to let them get away with saying that?', if not from others you might hear that from the little sneaky voice inside your head. How often do we respond to stuff harshly because we feel as if our pride has been wounded? We've been hurt by the fiery tongue of another so we feel justified in lashing right back to save our dignity, to preserve our honor, to uphold our selfish idea of the type of person we are and how we deserve to be treated.
Study to be quiet.
You've all heard the saying- 'Think before you speak.' If we 'think' before we speak we are taking time to contemplate the affect our words will have on the situation at hand.
If we are to 'study' to be quiet, we need to truly make an effort to be quiet, don't we?
I read this--
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Jas 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Every beast, bird, serpent, things of the sea are tamed… true? We wouldn't agree by our definition of tamed but if you think about it NO other creatures have tongues that speak, none! They are tamed by the definition they don't speak and cannot reason as mankind. Our tongues are untamed- no man can tame the tongue- at best we can 'study to be quiet', right?
Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Meekness of wisdom. Again, we equate being meek as being somehow inferior to being bold and outspoken and in our day and age we prize those who aren't afraid to stand up for themselves, we award those who debate successfully, we extol the virtues of not being meek but rather being bold. The meek get walked on, the meek are dominated, and yet… 'blessed are the meek'.
Our world is twisted and has raised up likewise twisted people. Ungodly, calling the virtues not truly acceptable by God, acceptable. Telling people to empower themselves- this world is so caught up in the devil's snares they think they are following God, if they would only bow down before our Creator, our Redeemer, and beg for forgiveness seeking to have their hearts and minds opened by the Holy Spirit to understand what God desires not what they desire, they would have hope. You can twist the truth until it fits like a square peg in a round hole by wearing down the sides of the square and forcing it to fit, but it won't ever be the peg that was supposed to fit into that hole, it will be a counterfeit that many will be deceived into believing is the true.
May God help us to 'study to be quiet', to be as He would have us be and not as we think we should be, or as the world tells us is acceptable to be. We need to be acceptable to God through the blood of Jesus Christ, through the righteousness of our Savior. We need to live in Him as He would have us live, not as we would naturally desire to live. We need to take up our crosses, we need to strive against sin, we need to cling to Christ and place all our hope, all our faith in Him fully.
By the grace and through the love of our Savior now and forever!
Amen.
Friday, July 2, 2010
'Alive to You, and Dead to Me'
******* (Song)
My Eyes Are Dry
By Keith Green
My eyes are dry, my faith is old,
My heart is hard, my prayers are cold,
And I know how I ought to be,
Alive to you, and dead to me.
Oh what can be done, for an old heart like mine,
Soften it up, with oil and wine.
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love,
Please wash me anew, in the wine of Your blood.
My eyes are dry, my faith is old,
My heart is hard, my prayers are cold,
And I know how I ought to be,
Alive to you, and dead to me.
Oh what can be done, for an old heart like mine,
Soften it up, with oil and wine.
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love,
Please wash me anew, in the wine of Your blood.
*******
That song really touches a place in my heart. The truth is we need to be alive to Christ and dead to ourselves. Alive to the will of God and dead to the will of self.
Jesus said… '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 was seeking NOT His own will.
Jesus was seeking the will of His FATHER.
We must seek the will of the Father as well. How can we seek the will of God?
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
The conclusion of the whole matter…. God's Will.
Fear God. God's Will.
Keep God's commandments. God's Will.
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
The will of God… hearing Jesus, believing in God.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The will of God- non-conformity to the world, this selfish, selfish world.
The will of God- transformation by the renewing of our minds.
Eph 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart
Eph 6:7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men
The will of God- servants of Christ from the heart.
The will of God- doing service as to the LORD…. not to self, NOT doing service for the praise of our fellow man, taking NO glory upon ourselves! All glory to God!
1Th 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
1Th 4:2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
1Th 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
1Th 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
1Th 4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
Fornication-
G4202
p???e?´a
porneia
por-ni'-ah
From G4203; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively idolatry: - fornication.
Concupiscence-
G1939
e?p???µ?´a
epithumia
ep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah
From G1937; a longing (especially for what is forbidden): - concupiscence, desire, lust (after).
The will of God- abstain from idolatry, from lusts of the flesh, not desiring things of the worldly, not desiring things the ungodly desire.
We know that self is held up as the great standard for the world.
Self gain
Self glory
Self satisfaction
Self love,
Self knowledge
Self achievement
Self understanding
Self glorification
Self pleasure
Self rights
Self preservation
Self…self… self…SELF! The majority of evil committed in our world stems from self. The majority of sin is committed because of self.
The SABBATH is a unique opportunity to die to self. I'm being convicted in this more and more. The Sabbath was made for us. The Sabbath, a weekly reminder of God and not self, God's will, not our will, God's desires, not our desires. Some say it's contradictory - that if the Sabbath was made for us we ought to be able to all things pleasing to ourselves , God would want us to have all the fun we can because we are told there are six other days to work in and work isn't fun (for the majority anyway). God would have us turn from selfish gain and seek Him fully on the Sabbath without any distractions. God would have us worship Him on the Sabbath knowing that it is only by the grace of God that we live.
As the song above says…
'I know how I ought to be… alive to You and dead to me'
God please bless us this Sabbath as we seek to be alive to YOU and dead to self. Setting aside all that would keep our minds stayed upon ourselves. May all we do be for Your glory, Your honor, Your worship, Your praise. As the blessings of life surround us- and maybe that blessing is solely found in the promise of You and eternal life with You and not anything of this world- as the blessings surround us let us thank You for Your unfathomable love for us.
By Your mercy and grace in the righteousness of our Savior, all glory to You God, all glory to You!
Amen
My Eyes Are Dry
By Keith Green
My eyes are dry, my faith is old,
My heart is hard, my prayers are cold,
And I know how I ought to be,
Alive to you, and dead to me.
Oh what can be done, for an old heart like mine,
Soften it up, with oil and wine.
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love,
Please wash me anew, in the wine of Your blood.
My eyes are dry, my faith is old,
My heart is hard, my prayers are cold,
And I know how I ought to be,
Alive to you, and dead to me.
Oh what can be done, for an old heart like mine,
Soften it up, with oil and wine.
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love,
Please wash me anew, in the wine of Your blood.
*******
That song really touches a place in my heart. The truth is we need to be alive to Christ and dead to ourselves. Alive to the will of God and dead to the will of self.
Jesus said… '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 was seeking NOT His own will.
Jesus was seeking the will of His FATHER.
We must seek the will of the Father as well. How can we seek the will of God?
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
The conclusion of the whole matter…. God's Will.
Fear God. God's Will.
Keep God's commandments. God's Will.
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
The will of God… hearing Jesus, believing in God.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The will of God- non-conformity to the world, this selfish, selfish world.
The will of God- transformation by the renewing of our minds.
Eph 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart
Eph 6:7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men
The will of God- servants of Christ from the heart.
The will of God- doing service as to the LORD…. not to self, NOT doing service for the praise of our fellow man, taking NO glory upon ourselves! All glory to God!
1Th 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
1Th 4:2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
1Th 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
1Th 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
1Th 4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
Fornication-
G4202
p???e?´a
porneia
por-ni'-ah
From G4203; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively idolatry: - fornication.
Concupiscence-
G1939
e?p???µ?´a
epithumia
ep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah
From G1937; a longing (especially for what is forbidden): - concupiscence, desire, lust (after).
The will of God- abstain from idolatry, from lusts of the flesh, not desiring things of the worldly, not desiring things the ungodly desire.
We know that self is held up as the great standard for the world.
Self gain
Self glory
Self satisfaction
Self love,
Self knowledge
Self achievement
Self understanding
Self glorification
Self pleasure
Self rights
Self preservation
Self…self… self…SELF! The majority of evil committed in our world stems from self. The majority of sin is committed because of self.
The SABBATH is a unique opportunity to die to self. I'm being convicted in this more and more. The Sabbath was made for us. The Sabbath, a weekly reminder of God and not self, God's will, not our will, God's desires, not our desires. Some say it's contradictory - that if the Sabbath was made for us we ought to be able to all things pleasing to ourselves , God would want us to have all the fun we can because we are told there are six other days to work in and work isn't fun (for the majority anyway). God would have us turn from selfish gain and seek Him fully on the Sabbath without any distractions. God would have us worship Him on the Sabbath knowing that it is only by the grace of God that we live.
As the song above says…
'I know how I ought to be… alive to You and dead to me'
God please bless us this Sabbath as we seek to be alive to YOU and dead to self. Setting aside all that would keep our minds stayed upon ourselves. May all we do be for Your glory, Your honor, Your worship, Your praise. As the blessings of life surround us- and maybe that blessing is solely found in the promise of You and eternal life with You and not anything of this world- as the blessings surround us let us thank You for Your unfathomable love for us.
By Your mercy and grace in the righteousness of our Savior, all glory to You God, all glory to You!
Amen
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Paths of the Destroyer
Psa 17:4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.
Psa 17:5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
We desperately need God to hold up our goings in His paths… that our feet don't slip off that path. It's sooooo easy to be caught up in the works of men. They surround us, the worldly ways, the works of men. There is a HUGE difference between the works of men and the works of God, the ways of men and the ways of God. Jesus was in the world but not OF the world. We are called to be IN the world but not OF the world. We really need to differentiate between the two ways of life and if you think it's easy, it isn't.
Most of us are brought up in the ways of the world, the ways of men. We are blessed and born again unto God and His ways through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as adults or teenagers.
Though some are brought up in Christian families - this is my experience, my family were Sunday and Holiday- Church Christians with Vacation Bible School thrown in but there was no day to day worship other than memorized prayers at meal times and bedtime. I was luckier than a lot of children who grow up without any knowledge of God at all. However, I still believe I grew up in the ways of Men, in the paths of the world. God as being the most important thing in life was not something I grew up believing and I'm NOT going to blame my parents, they were very loving and kind parents (not perfect but no one is) they raised me to the best of their ability.
The point being is our connection to the world. Most of us grow up in the ways of the world not the ways of God. Because we are brought up in the ways of the world later on it is often hard to separate all the ways of the world from the ways of God. You'd think it'd be fairly easy but it really isn't.
You look at certain religions- Quakers and the Amish come to mind and they have their own communities geared towards their religion and their children are brought up in those ways. I'm not saying those are great religions or even going to pretend I know much about them, I don't. What I do know is their children at a certain age are allowed to go out into the world to experience it and decide which way they want to follow and...
"Most (some 85-90%) successfully negotiate this "causal time" of their lives and return to the fold."
Pasted from
We read this…
Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Jesus doesn't pray that we are taken OUT of the world-- but boy wouldn't it be great to be taken out of the worldly ways? To live in a community of Christian believers sharing the same beliefs and honoring God? I know, I know, immediately the idea of CULTS come to mind, and I don't support cult living. In fact from those verses above we know we aren't to be taken out of the world but to be kept from evil.
Most of us don't have the opportunity to live OUT of the world. The worldly ways are all around us, even for those who do livei n the mountains and such. Worldly ways some how seem to creep into our lives in ways we don't suspect or even want to suspect.
Psa 17:4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.
Psa 17:5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
Concerning the works of men
By the word of God's lips
I have kept me
From the paths of the destroyer
We need to keep ourselves from the paths of the destroyer found in the works of men.
We need to keep ourselves from being destroyed.
We need God to hold up our goings in HIS paths so we don't slip off HIS path.
This should be our prayer. We aren't to be taken out of the world but we will be kept from evil but ONLY through God, through the righteousness of our Lord and Savior.
Let us examine our paths. Let us pay attention to our lives and ask ourselves if our ways are God's ways and if they are not- rather than get bogged down in discouragement over how worldly we really are- pray. Pray to be kept from evil. Pray to have our goings in God's path, and that our feet don't slip. Pray and as convictions enter our hearts pray harder to be able to surrender the evils we cherish to God. Above all do NOT let Satan convince you that you'll never be right with God, that you can't follow His path. Pray and surrender to Christ, repent, ask for forgiveness over and over and over again if you have to. Trust in Christ for the victory found ONLY in Him, through HIM and His love and mercy.
By the grace and all consuming love, through the righteousness of our Lord and Savior now and forever, all glory and honor, all praise to Him!
Amen
Psa 17:5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
We desperately need God to hold up our goings in His paths… that our feet don't slip off that path. It's sooooo easy to be caught up in the works of men. They surround us, the worldly ways, the works of men. There is a HUGE difference between the works of men and the works of God, the ways of men and the ways of God. Jesus was in the world but not OF the world. We are called to be IN the world but not OF the world. We really need to differentiate between the two ways of life and if you think it's easy, it isn't.
Most of us are brought up in the ways of the world, the ways of men. We are blessed and born again unto God and His ways through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as adults or teenagers.
Though some are brought up in Christian families - this is my experience, my family were Sunday and Holiday- Church Christians with Vacation Bible School thrown in but there was no day to day worship other than memorized prayers at meal times and bedtime. I was luckier than a lot of children who grow up without any knowledge of God at all. However, I still believe I grew up in the ways of Men, in the paths of the world. God as being the most important thing in life was not something I grew up believing and I'm NOT going to blame my parents, they were very loving and kind parents (not perfect but no one is) they raised me to the best of their ability.
The point being is our connection to the world. Most of us grow up in the ways of the world not the ways of God. Because we are brought up in the ways of the world later on it is often hard to separate all the ways of the world from the ways of God. You'd think it'd be fairly easy but it really isn't.
You look at certain religions- Quakers and the Amish come to mind and they have their own communities geared towards their religion and their children are brought up in those ways. I'm not saying those are great religions or even going to pretend I know much about them, I don't. What I do know is their children at a certain age are allowed to go out into the world to experience it and decide which way they want to follow and...
"Most (some 85-90%) successfully negotiate this "causal time" of their lives and return to the fold."
Pasted from
We read this…
Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Jesus doesn't pray that we are taken OUT of the world-- but boy wouldn't it be great to be taken out of the worldly ways? To live in a community of Christian believers sharing the same beliefs and honoring God? I know, I know, immediately the idea of CULTS come to mind, and I don't support cult living. In fact from those verses above we know we aren't to be taken out of the world but to be kept from evil.
Most of us don't have the opportunity to live OUT of the world. The worldly ways are all around us, even for those who do livei n the mountains and such. Worldly ways some how seem to creep into our lives in ways we don't suspect or even want to suspect.
Psa 17:4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.
Psa 17:5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
Concerning the works of men
By the word of God's lips
I have kept me
From the paths of the destroyer
We need to keep ourselves from the paths of the destroyer found in the works of men.
We need to keep ourselves from being destroyed.
We need God to hold up our goings in HIS paths so we don't slip off HIS path.
This should be our prayer. We aren't to be taken out of the world but we will be kept from evil but ONLY through God, through the righteousness of our Lord and Savior.
Let us examine our paths. Let us pay attention to our lives and ask ourselves if our ways are God's ways and if they are not- rather than get bogged down in discouragement over how worldly we really are- pray. Pray to be kept from evil. Pray to have our goings in God's path, and that our feet don't slip. Pray and as convictions enter our hearts pray harder to be able to surrender the evils we cherish to God. Above all do NOT let Satan convince you that you'll never be right with God, that you can't follow His path. Pray and surrender to Christ, repent, ask for forgiveness over and over and over again if you have to. Trust in Christ for the victory found ONLY in Him, through HIM and His love and mercy.
By the grace and all consuming love, through the righteousness of our Lord and Savior now and forever, all glory and honor, all praise to Him!
Amen
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