Eze 14:3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Setting up idols in our hearts.
Putting stumblingblocks of sin before our faces.
Do we do this? We all know what idols are, right? Let's take a look at the dictionary definition just to be sure…
Idol
I'DOL, n. [L. idolum; Gr. form or to see.]
1. An image, form or representation, usually of a man or other animal, consecrated as an object of worship; a pagan deity. Idols are usually statues or images, carved out of wood or stone, or formed of metals, particularly silver or gold.
The gods of the nations are idols. Psa 96.
2. An image.
Nor ever idol seemed so much alive.
3. A person loved and honored to adoration. The prince was the idol of the people.
4. Any thing on which we set our affections; that to which we indulge an excessive and sinful attachment.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5.
An idol is any thing which usurps the place of God in the hearts of his rational creatures.
5. A representation. [Not in use.]
*******
So, ANYTHING which usurps the place of God in our hearts. Technically that means we can be our own idols doesn't it? Our loved ones can be our idols, the television can be our idol, our cellphone, our computer, our animals, our jobs, our past times -- you name it, if it takes the place of God in our hearts, if we set our affections and have an excessive attachment to ANYTHING other than God we may be guilty of setting up idols in our hearts. Notice I said MAY BE, I hesitated. In truth it should read… if we set our affections and have an excessive attachment to ANYTHING other than God we ARE guilty of setting up idols in our hearts.
We ARE guilty.
Let's take a look at this next word…
Stumbling-block
STUMBLING-BLOCK, STUMBLING-STONE, n. [stumble and block or stone.] Any cause of stumbling; that which causes to err.
Any cause of stumbling, anything that causes us to err.
Putting stumblingblocks of sin before our faces.
Do we do this? Do we PUT things in our lives that cause us to sin?
We are estranged from God through our idols. We need to repent and turn from those idols. We need to turn our faces from ALL our abominations.
We are accountable for our lives make no mistake about it. We are accountable for cherishing sin. We are accountable for the idols we choose to worship.
'the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols'
Eze 14:4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols
Answered according to the MULTITUDE of our idols!
We don't like to think about these things. We'd rather hear about the compassion of a forgiving Savior than hear about our idols and the need to turn from them. So many people believe that Jesus will save us no matter what sins we cherish and cling to.
It was Jesus who said this--
'Joh 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. '
Joh 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
SIN NO MORE.
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us
Easier said than done, I know… I know.
Perhaps examining our lives is a first step. Recognizing the idols in our hearts, noting the stumblingblocks of sin we've erected in our lives. Instead of calling sin something else, note it for what it is. There is no pretending with God. There is no deceiving God. We can deceive ourselves into believing anything, but God will not be deceived.
Our hope is in Christ now and always!
Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, SEEK those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Col 3:2 SET your affection on things ABOVE, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3 FOR YE ARE DEAD, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Col 3:5 MORTIFY therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
Col 3:8 But now ye also PUT OFF ALL these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have PUT OFF THE OLD MAN WITH HIS DEEDS;
Col 3:10 And have PUT ON THE NEW MAN, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but CHRIST IS ALL, AND IN ALL.
Col 3:12 PUT ON therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, BOWELS OF MERCIES, KINDNESS, HUMBLENESS OF MIND, MEEKNESS, LONGSUFFERING;
Col 3:13 FORBEARING ONE ANOTHER, and FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Col 3:14 And above all these things PUT ON CHARITY, which is the bond of perfectness.
Col 3:15 And LET THE PEACE OF GOD RULE IN YOUR HEARTS, to the which also ye are called in one body; and BE YE THANKFUL.
Col 3:16 LET the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Col 3:17 And WHATSOEVER ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the LORD JESUS, GIVING thanks to God and the Father by him.
Col 3:18 Wives, SUBMIT yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
Col 3:19 Husbands, LOVE your wives, and be not bitter against them.
Col 3:20 Children, OBEY your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
Col 3:21 Fathers, PROVOKE NOT your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
Col 3:22 Servants, OBEY in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, FEARING GOD:
Col 3:23 And WHATSOEVER ye do, do it heartily, as TO THE LORD, and not unto men;
Col 3:24 KNOWING that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for YE SERVE THE LORD CHRIST.
Col 3:25 BUT HE THAT DOETH WRONG SHALL RECEIVE FOR THE WRONG WHICH HE HATH DONE: AND THERE IS NO RESPECT OF PERSONS.
Col 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him
We receive our Savior, how?
Mat 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
Mat 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Joh 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Act 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Joh 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Joh 3:9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
Joh 3:10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
Joh 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
Joh 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
Joh 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Act 16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Act 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Rom 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
We are save by the grace of our Lord and Savior and only by His grace. Believing in the Lord and His grace in all truth is transforming. While we might look at our lives and cringe with a sense of hopelessness trying to creep in believing that we'll never be free of our sins, or the idols of our hearts, we have to look to Christ and hope in Him! We must 'die daily'. TRULY WE MUST DIE DAILY trusting in our Savior for His righteousness, His love, His forgiveness- something we'll NEVER be able to earn, something we'll never deserve. Hope is in Christ and ONLY in Christ!
In His amazing love!
Amen.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Power of the Tongue
I don't know what it is, but sometimes we are led by the Spirit by being shown things repetitively, at least that's been my personal experience. Recently one message keeps being highlighted for me and that is the power in the tongue, in the mouth, in the lips.
Pro 18:21 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue…'
Death and life power exists in the tongue.
Rather than risk death how much better it would be not to speak at all, right? Or maybe not, think about it. The tongue can confess the name of Jesus and bring life, yes? With the tongue we can cry out for forgiveness. With the tongue we can preach Christ to others. Yet the tongue can also condemn us.
Are you someone, or do you know someone, who is notorious for speaking before they think? I think even if you're not someone who does this all the time, that at least you've been guilty of it a time or two in your life, right? When we speak before we take time to think our mouths will often get us into a world of trouble. How chagrined we are when we realized we took something someone else said to us all wrong because we didn't take time to really listen to them or hear them out fully and we went off running our mouths because we thought we understood and truly didn't take any time to think at all.
Instant response. We live in a world where want instant everything. It's no wonder we instantly respond during our conversations- some might even say it'd be rude to do otherwise. In fact you've probably heard this before- 'Well, answer me! I'm talking to you! Say something!' People might not want to hear the response- 'I'm just pondering what you said.' No, they want to know immediately what you're thinking. If we could crawl into another person's head at times we'd gladly do so, just to know what they REALLY think. Of course, the other side of that is NOT really wanting to know the truth of another's thoughts. Too many self-righteously blunt people hold up their banner waving it around saying they have the right to tell you like it is and who cares if you get hurt, they're only speaking what everybody is thinking.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
It's a scary thing to really consider.
The balance of your life hanging in the power of your tongue.
1Jn 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Rom 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Luk 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God
Every tongue shall confess to God. EVERY tongue. Not some tongues….EVERY tongue…yours, mine, your friends and families, the strangers we see.
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God raised Him from the dead….THOU SHALT BE SAVED! Being saved mean life eternal. The tongue - death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Confess Jesus before men!
So what about those who are mute- by sickness, or accident, or however it happens, they can't speak? God knows their hearts and actions are a confession as well. Most people however, can speak. Most people have a tongue.
I have to confess…tonight I made someone cry. Have you ever made someone cry with your words? It's painful, especially when you're talking and talking and they're crying and you just keep on talking! How horrible the tongue can be even if the intentions of it are good. The tongue is wicked. Did I mean to make someone cry? NO! NOOOOOOOOooooo! But my well-meaning words just spewed out of my mouth and didn't stop. Of course…. words of apology came as well by that same tongue. What I can't get out of my head is how powerful the tongue is. We can respond to others and be hurtful, we are a heartbeat away from saying hurtful things to others-- sometimes we do, sometimes we don't --by the grace of God. I think sometimes we feel that it's torture to hold our tongues, to NOT speak and respond as we want to. Yet how much peace could be garnered from holding our tongues? Others DON'T have to always hear what we want to tell them. The debates don't always need to be won. Our point of view won't fester in our mouths because we choose not to speak it because it's more LOVING not to speak it than to do so. We are sooooo incredibly selfish- wanting people to see things OUR way all the time. God's ways aren't OUR selfish, hurtful ways. God is love. And YES, I agree there are plenty of examples of an irate Biblical figure- justified in their ire. But the difference between them and us is that we are so quick to give responses that we aren't praying for God's words to be spoken through us, but we are pushing our thoughts out regardless of whether it's God' s will that we speak. Am I saying it's always wrong to hurt others with our words? No. I'm saying it's wrong to not have God guiding our mouths, because if God is guiding our words and they cause someone to cry then YOU know that it's out of the purest form of love, completely unselfish.
We really do need God to guide our mouths. I did a short study on our lips a week or so ago (not sure when) with this verse in mind --
Psa 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Knowing how powerful the tongue is we need this to be our prayer don't we? I know I sure do!
By the grace and mercy of our Lord, by the love of our Savior, may the door to our lips be kept by HIM now and always! May life be found in our tongues, not death. Through the righteousness of Jesus Christ the Son of God!
Amen.
Pro 18:21 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue…'
Death and life power exists in the tongue.
Rather than risk death how much better it would be not to speak at all, right? Or maybe not, think about it. The tongue can confess the name of Jesus and bring life, yes? With the tongue we can cry out for forgiveness. With the tongue we can preach Christ to others. Yet the tongue can also condemn us.
Are you someone, or do you know someone, who is notorious for speaking before they think? I think even if you're not someone who does this all the time, that at least you've been guilty of it a time or two in your life, right? When we speak before we take time to think our mouths will often get us into a world of trouble. How chagrined we are when we realized we took something someone else said to us all wrong because we didn't take time to really listen to them or hear them out fully and we went off running our mouths because we thought we understood and truly didn't take any time to think at all.
Instant response. We live in a world where want instant everything. It's no wonder we instantly respond during our conversations- some might even say it'd be rude to do otherwise. In fact you've probably heard this before- 'Well, answer me! I'm talking to you! Say something!' People might not want to hear the response- 'I'm just pondering what you said.' No, they want to know immediately what you're thinking. If we could crawl into another person's head at times we'd gladly do so, just to know what they REALLY think. Of course, the other side of that is NOT really wanting to know the truth of another's thoughts. Too many self-righteously blunt people hold up their banner waving it around saying they have the right to tell you like it is and who cares if you get hurt, they're only speaking what everybody is thinking.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
It's a scary thing to really consider.
The balance of your life hanging in the power of your tongue.
1Jn 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Rom 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Luk 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God
Every tongue shall confess to God. EVERY tongue. Not some tongues….EVERY tongue…yours, mine, your friends and families, the strangers we see.
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God raised Him from the dead….THOU SHALT BE SAVED! Being saved mean life eternal. The tongue - death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Confess Jesus before men!
So what about those who are mute- by sickness, or accident, or however it happens, they can't speak? God knows their hearts and actions are a confession as well. Most people however, can speak. Most people have a tongue.
I have to confess…tonight I made someone cry. Have you ever made someone cry with your words? It's painful, especially when you're talking and talking and they're crying and you just keep on talking! How horrible the tongue can be even if the intentions of it are good. The tongue is wicked. Did I mean to make someone cry? NO! NOOOOOOOOooooo! But my well-meaning words just spewed out of my mouth and didn't stop. Of course…. words of apology came as well by that same tongue. What I can't get out of my head is how powerful the tongue is. We can respond to others and be hurtful, we are a heartbeat away from saying hurtful things to others-- sometimes we do, sometimes we don't --by the grace of God. I think sometimes we feel that it's torture to hold our tongues, to NOT speak and respond as we want to. Yet how much peace could be garnered from holding our tongues? Others DON'T have to always hear what we want to tell them. The debates don't always need to be won. Our point of view won't fester in our mouths because we choose not to speak it because it's more LOVING not to speak it than to do so. We are sooooo incredibly selfish- wanting people to see things OUR way all the time. God's ways aren't OUR selfish, hurtful ways. God is love. And YES, I agree there are plenty of examples of an irate Biblical figure- justified in their ire. But the difference between them and us is that we are so quick to give responses that we aren't praying for God's words to be spoken through us, but we are pushing our thoughts out regardless of whether it's God' s will that we speak. Am I saying it's always wrong to hurt others with our words? No. I'm saying it's wrong to not have God guiding our mouths, because if God is guiding our words and they cause someone to cry then YOU know that it's out of the purest form of love, completely unselfish.
We really do need God to guide our mouths. I did a short study on our lips a week or so ago (not sure when) with this verse in mind --
Psa 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Knowing how powerful the tongue is we need this to be our prayer don't we? I know I sure do!
By the grace and mercy of our Lord, by the love of our Savior, may the door to our lips be kept by HIM now and always! May life be found in our tongues, not death. Through the righteousness of Jesus Christ the Son of God!
Amen.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Unto them that look for Him!
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.
'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.
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.
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