Pro 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
Pro 19:21 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
The counsel of the Lord shall stand.
Counsel - Hebrew definition--
H6098
???
?e^tsa^h
ay-tsaw'
From H3289; advice; by implication plan; also prudence: - advice, advisement, counsel ([-lor]), purpose.
Listen to the Lord. If we receive instruction and counsel from the Lord we will be wise in our latter end. Advice from the Lord. The Bible offers us God's advice, God's counsel. The purpose of the Lord is revealed in His word. We know that God created man in His own image. We know that God is Love. We know that God's mercy has kept us alive, God's grace has made it so we can be as we were intended without sin's corruption in us. When the Bible tells us there are many devices in a man's heart it is sooooo true! We have so many things going on in our heart of hearts, things we don't even like take place. We can clearly see our own wickedness.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
How sad a state we can find ourselves in when our own heart seems to betray us. We know what we SHOULD be about, but our hearts betray us by leading us elsewhere. There are MANY devices in a man's heart- NEVERTHELESS the counsel of the Lord …that SHALL STAND. We can't know our own hearts, but we can know they are wicked. What we can know is that God' s counsels will stand true and we can trust in God's counsels, not our own. God is true even when we are not. Is it that we don't want to be true? No, because sometimes we desperately want to be true to God, but what we want isn't what we do. We have to trust in God fully leaving no room for doubt at all. If we think we can stand on our own we have already fallen and are only deluded into thinking we are still standing. We have to hear the counsels of the Lord. We have to search His word daily for those counsels. Will searching save us? No. Only Christ can save us. We have to place ourselves where God can reach us, where He can teach us, where He can speak to us. If we wish to be counseled by the Lord we have to go to where the counsel is given. The living word of God will counsel us. The living word of God will be a sword for us and why do we need swords? To protect ourselves from that which would kill us. The sword of the Spirit of the Word of God kills anything that would destroy us spiritually. We have to have the Word of God in our hearts.
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Pro 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
Pro 19:21 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
The counsel of the LORD that shall stand! Anything we devise will falter, but the Lord's counsels will stand. May we seek the counsel of the Lord now and always so that we may be protected even from our own hearts. God's will be done in us by His grace, through His mercy, in the righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior now and forever!
Amen.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Mind Repair
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.
And be not conformed to this world
con·form
[kuhn-fawrm]
Show IPA
–verb (used without object)
1.
to act in accordance or harmony; comply
2.
to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group
3.
to be or become similar in form, nature, or character.
We are not to be conformed- we are not to be in harmony, we are not to be in accord, we are not to be similar, we are not to be conformed to THIS world.
Do we really realize the significance of what this is telling us? When we grow up being told to conform every step of the way or else face ridicule and worse, do we really understand? Conform-- be like others, fit in, don't make a spectacle of yourself, behave, act normal. Most people conform so they don't stand out in a crowd. Fitting in is something we take pride in. Those who fit in are considered normal, those who don't are abnormal. Those who don't fit in are rebellious, oddballs, strange.
And be not conformed to this world
If we fit in this world, if we are not square pegs trying to fit in round holes, perhaps we need to look long and hard at ourselves. Alarm bells may be sounding already, those internal bells warning you that not fitting in is wrong. Being rebellious is wrong, right? Rebellion isn't proper. Did Jesus rebel? Did Jesus conform? Did Jesus act in harmony with society? Did Jesus become similar to those of His day in form, nature, or character? The answer to the first is yes, Jesus did rebel according to those in authority in His day. Jesus didn't conform to those wanting Him to conform. Jesus didn't act in harmony with society, but the thing here to really note is Jesus for the most part didn't use violence in his non-conformity. Jesus used love. Jesus wasn't similar to those in His day- He was amazingly different, He was unique, He was our great EXAMPLE.
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps
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.
Rom 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus
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.
Transformed! We are to be transformed! We are not to be part of this world, but we are to be transformed and in being transformed our minds are renewed and that will prove what is good, what is acceptable and perfect…. WILL OF GOD! It is the will of God that we be transformed and not conformed.
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
The renewing of our minds.
The renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Renewing--
G342
a??a?a?´??s??
anakaino¯sis
an-ak-ah'ee-no-sis
From G341; renovation: - renewing.
Renovate--
ren·o·vate
[ren-uh-veyt]
Show IPA verb, -vat·ed, -vat·ing, adjective
–verb (used with object)
1.
to restore to good condition; make new or as if new again; repair.
2.
to reinvigorate; refresh; revive.
Pasted from
Transformed by the renovation of our minds- transformed by the restoration of our minds, our minds made new, our minds repaired.
Oh to have my mind repaired! It is only through such renewing our transformation will take place and we will not be conformed to this world. By the grace and mercy of our wonderful Lord and Savior may we be renewed! His WILL be done!
In His love now and forever! All praise and glory to our Creator and Redeemer!
Amen.
And be not conformed to this world
con·form
[kuhn-fawrm]
Show IPA
–verb (used without object)
1.
to act in accordance or harmony; comply
2.
to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group
3.
to be or become similar in form, nature, or character.
We are not to be conformed- we are not to be in harmony, we are not to be in accord, we are not to be similar, we are not to be conformed to THIS world.
Do we really realize the significance of what this is telling us? When we grow up being told to conform every step of the way or else face ridicule and worse, do we really understand? Conform-- be like others, fit in, don't make a spectacle of yourself, behave, act normal. Most people conform so they don't stand out in a crowd. Fitting in is something we take pride in. Those who fit in are considered normal, those who don't are abnormal. Those who don't fit in are rebellious, oddballs, strange.
And be not conformed to this world
If we fit in this world, if we are not square pegs trying to fit in round holes, perhaps we need to look long and hard at ourselves. Alarm bells may be sounding already, those internal bells warning you that not fitting in is wrong. Being rebellious is wrong, right? Rebellion isn't proper. Did Jesus rebel? Did Jesus conform? Did Jesus act in harmony with society? Did Jesus become similar to those of His day in form, nature, or character? The answer to the first is yes, Jesus did rebel according to those in authority in His day. Jesus didn't conform to those wanting Him to conform. Jesus didn't act in harmony with society, but the thing here to really note is Jesus for the most part didn't use violence in his non-conformity. Jesus used love. Jesus wasn't similar to those in His day- He was amazingly different, He was unique, He was our great EXAMPLE.
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps
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.
Rom 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus
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.
Transformed! We are to be transformed! We are not to be part of this world, but we are to be transformed and in being transformed our minds are renewed and that will prove what is good, what is acceptable and perfect…. WILL OF GOD! It is the will of God that we be transformed and not conformed.
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
The renewing of our minds.
The renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Renewing--
G342
a??a?a?´??s??
anakaino¯sis
an-ak-ah'ee-no-sis
From G341; renovation: - renewing.
Renovate--
ren·o·vate
[ren-uh-veyt]
Show IPA verb, -vat·ed, -vat·ing, adjective
–verb (used with object)
1.
to restore to good condition; make new or as if new again; repair.
2.
to reinvigorate; refresh; revive.
Pasted from
Transformed by the renovation of our minds- transformed by the restoration of our minds, our minds made new, our minds repaired.
Oh to have my mind repaired! It is only through such renewing our transformation will take place and we will not be conformed to this world. By the grace and mercy of our wonderful Lord and Savior may we be renewed! His WILL be done!
In His love now and forever! All praise and glory to our Creator and Redeemer!
Amen.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
We Will Remember the Name of the LORD
Psa 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
This is so true. We trust in THINGS. People trust in things and people feel betrayed with things fail them, sometimes they take it as a personal affront. Things. Chariots…cars. Horses…cars. Think about it. If you're trusting in your chariot and your horses in David's day you were trusting in the things that transported you from place to place. Trusting in the thing not trusting in the name of the Lord. Whether it's a horse or a car, no matter the object if we place our trust in things we will ALWAYS end up disappointed sooner or later. Even the most reliable thing can fail us eventually, but God never ever fails us.
Oh yes, you'll have people who say that God lets us down more than any thing ever could but those people don't know God the way they should. Those people want a fairy god father not God our Heavenly Father.
We need to trust in the name of the LORD our God. When our trust is solely in God we will understand that things can fail us and will fail us, but never God, never.
May the name of the LORD our God be forever before us as we remember that He is trustworthy beyond all else! Many things in our lives will fail us, but not God. As our cars break down, as our houses show their age, as even our own bodies fail us in various ways, we need to remember that God will forever be One to trust. Failing things exists all around us and by the grace of God may we see their failure and use them as a reminder of God's unfailing love.
By the mercy of our Lord, in His righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
This is so true. We trust in THINGS. People trust in things and people feel betrayed with things fail them, sometimes they take it as a personal affront. Things. Chariots…cars. Horses…cars. Think about it. If you're trusting in your chariot and your horses in David's day you were trusting in the things that transported you from place to place. Trusting in the thing not trusting in the name of the Lord. Whether it's a horse or a car, no matter the object if we place our trust in things we will ALWAYS end up disappointed sooner or later. Even the most reliable thing can fail us eventually, but God never ever fails us.
Oh yes, you'll have people who say that God lets us down more than any thing ever could but those people don't know God the way they should. Those people want a fairy god father not God our Heavenly Father.
We need to trust in the name of the LORD our God. When our trust is solely in God we will understand that things can fail us and will fail us, but never God, never.
May the name of the LORD our God be forever before us as we remember that He is trustworthy beyond all else! Many things in our lives will fail us, but not God. As our cars break down, as our houses show their age, as even our own bodies fail us in various ways, we need to remember that God will forever be One to trust. Failing things exists all around us and by the grace of God may we see their failure and use them as a reminder of God's unfailing love.
By the mercy of our Lord, in His righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Beautiful Judgments!
Psa 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
How beautiful. There can be a conversion of the soul, the simple can be made wise. These are beautiful things, these things offer hope to us, great hope. To know that the law of the Lord is perfect is amazing. So many try to do away with the law as if it's something defective, something archaic. How can something that is declared perfect then be turned into something imperfect?
Rom 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Perfect. I don't know about any one else but I want my soul to be converted, I want my simple-ness to be wise for the Lord.
Psa 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Truth! The statutes of the Lord are right- rejoicing the heart!
The commandment of the Lord is pure- enlightening the eyes!
We can find so much in the law of the Lord, so much beauty. Where people see only restrictions there is pure love of God for His people.
Psa 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Psa 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Psa 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Beautiful judgments! Wonderful judgments! We are so caught up in dreading judgments that we forget their wonder, and we certainly forget that we are to desire more than gold, fine gold and that they're sweeter than honey AND the honeycomb. We've been trained to fear, to reject, to want to hide or run from judgments. We don't want to be judge. We want to be forgiven. Yet to be forgiven we have to be determined in need of forgiveness. To be in need of forgiveness we have to be judged to be in need.
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous!
Psa 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
Psa 19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Psa 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins… let them not have dominion over me then shall I be upright and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Oh such words!!!! Take them to heart! We really need to take them to heart. LORD, please please keep thy servant from PRESUMPTUOUS sins! We sin so much, and we try to excuse our sinning but there is NO excuse for it, none. Please Lord keep us from presumptuous sins don't let them rule over us please! We need so much to be innocent from the great transgression.
Please we pray to you oh Lord, please, let our words, let our hearts be acceptable to You. You are our strength, you are our Redeemer!
By Your grace oh Lord! By Your mercy! Through Your love, Your righteousness now and forever!!!!
Amen.
How beautiful. There can be a conversion of the soul, the simple can be made wise. These are beautiful things, these things offer hope to us, great hope. To know that the law of the Lord is perfect is amazing. So many try to do away with the law as if it's something defective, something archaic. How can something that is declared perfect then be turned into something imperfect?
Rom 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Perfect. I don't know about any one else but I want my soul to be converted, I want my simple-ness to be wise for the Lord.
Psa 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Truth! The statutes of the Lord are right- rejoicing the heart!
The commandment of the Lord is pure- enlightening the eyes!
We can find so much in the law of the Lord, so much beauty. Where people see only restrictions there is pure love of God for His people.
Psa 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Psa 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Psa 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Beautiful judgments! Wonderful judgments! We are so caught up in dreading judgments that we forget their wonder, and we certainly forget that we are to desire more than gold, fine gold and that they're sweeter than honey AND the honeycomb. We've been trained to fear, to reject, to want to hide or run from judgments. We don't want to be judge. We want to be forgiven. Yet to be forgiven we have to be determined in need of forgiveness. To be in need of forgiveness we have to be judged to be in need.
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous!
Psa 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
Psa 19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Psa 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins… let them not have dominion over me then shall I be upright and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Oh such words!!!! Take them to heart! We really need to take them to heart. LORD, please please keep thy servant from PRESUMPTUOUS sins! We sin so much, and we try to excuse our sinning but there is NO excuse for it, none. Please Lord keep us from presumptuous sins don't let them rule over us please! We need so much to be innocent from the great transgression.
Please we pray to you oh Lord, please, let our words, let our hearts be acceptable to You. You are our strength, you are our Redeemer!
By Your grace oh Lord! By Your mercy! Through Your love, Your righteousness now and forever!!!!
Amen.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Hast thou not known....
Isa 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
God is beyond anything we can fully comprehend. God truly does watch over us all the time and yes, that is everyone, and yes, that is all the time. People like to jump in just about now and go on about how horrible a God He must be to watch all the pain and suffering and do nothing. They like to imagine that if THEY were God they wouldn't have any pain or suffering going on at all, they'd be the best god ever. Of course to do that they'd have to become a dictator god doing away with free will, because to get everyone in order, especially after people chose to sin, would mean taking away that free will and getting a bunch of automatons in return. People that choose to do no harm, people that are all loving all the time because they were forced to be, they would be the result of any of us trying to play god.
There will be a day when life is without pain and fear. Only that beautiful day will be that way because of free will, because of choices made willingly for people to live that way- in the love of God. Through God's love, by His love, choosing love over all else, understanding that LOVE IS GOD and to take it outside of God destroys it completely warping it into something we imagine to be love, but is not really love at all.
We can't search God's understanding, it's beyond our comprehension. Until Christ returns and sin is destroyed once and forever we will live with limited understanding. Faith has to come in, faith in the belief that there is something much better, faith that there is more, that this is NOT the world we are supposed to be in, that there is a better world for us all.
Hast thou not known?
Hast thou not heard?
The everlasting God.
The Lord.
The Creator of the ends of the earth…
Fainteth not.
Neither is weary.
There is NO searching of his understanding.
God was, God is, God will always be.
We get to choose whether or not we will believe in God, if we will have faith in God. We are all free to choose and may God have mercy upon us as we fall before Him seeking the grace of our Savior living in His righteousness now and forever.
In the love of our God.
Amen.
God is beyond anything we can fully comprehend. God truly does watch over us all the time and yes, that is everyone, and yes, that is all the time. People like to jump in just about now and go on about how horrible a God He must be to watch all the pain and suffering and do nothing. They like to imagine that if THEY were God they wouldn't have any pain or suffering going on at all, they'd be the best god ever. Of course to do that they'd have to become a dictator god doing away with free will, because to get everyone in order, especially after people chose to sin, would mean taking away that free will and getting a bunch of automatons in return. People that choose to do no harm, people that are all loving all the time because they were forced to be, they would be the result of any of us trying to play god.
There will be a day when life is without pain and fear. Only that beautiful day will be that way because of free will, because of choices made willingly for people to live that way- in the love of God. Through God's love, by His love, choosing love over all else, understanding that LOVE IS GOD and to take it outside of God destroys it completely warping it into something we imagine to be love, but is not really love at all.
We can't search God's understanding, it's beyond our comprehension. Until Christ returns and sin is destroyed once and forever we will live with limited understanding. Faith has to come in, faith in the belief that there is something much better, faith that there is more, that this is NOT the world we are supposed to be in, that there is a better world for us all.
Hast thou not known?
Hast thou not heard?
The everlasting God.
The Lord.
The Creator of the ends of the earth…
Fainteth not.
Neither is weary.
There is NO searching of his understanding.
God was, God is, God will always be.
We get to choose whether or not we will believe in God, if we will have faith in God. We are all free to choose and may God have mercy upon us as we fall before Him seeking the grace of our Savior living in His righteousness now and forever.
In the love of our God.
Amen.
Monday, July 19, 2010
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
The FOOL hath said in his heart THERE IS NO GOD.
Psa 14:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psa 14:2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
Psa 14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Hebrew word - Fool--
H5036
???
na^ba^l
naw-bawl'
From H5034; stupid; wicked (especially impious): - fool (-ish, -ish man, -ish woman), vile person.
The stupid person.
The wicked person (especially impious)
Dictionary… Impious--
im·pi·ous
[im-pee-uhs, im-pahy-]
Show IPA
–adjective
1.
not pious or religious; lacking reverence for god, religious practices, etc.; irreligious; ungodly.
2.
disrespectful.
Pasted from
The fool.
When we think of a fool we immediately can substitute that word for stupid, or we combine them to say stupid fool. We don't immediately think wicked when we think of fool, or impious, and fools in our minds are always considered vile people. Yet here we have this verse--
The FOOL hath said in his heart THERE IS NO GOD.
-- and this word fool goes beyond the way we normally interpret it. The wicked person, the vile person is more like it. The ungodly, the irreligious person will say in their hearts there is no God.
Do you know anyone that says there is no God? Do you know anyone that doesn't believe in God? Or maybe you know people who believe in God but just not the fact that He has any power at all. Some treat God as a huge joke. In our world anything goes. The rich and powerful, those considered highly intelligent, genius even, these people men and women alike, all fools.
Believing in their hearts that there is no God. Could this also include those who pretend to love God? There are a lot of people who say they believe in God but they don't, not really, not with a living faith. How many pretenders are there? More than we probably care to think about. Jesus will say to many that He never knew them. Why wouldn't He know them? Because they don't have a real faith, a real belief in God. Jesus will never say He never knew one that believes in Him fully in all faith, in all hope, trusting in Him for Salvation. The liar He won't admit to knowing, the fool He won't admit to knowing.
Could it be true that there might be some who say they don't believe in God, yet in their hearts they do?
Saying something in our hearts doesn't mean we always reveal it to others.
This verse goes on to say-- They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Whether blatantly or secretly- people can be corrupt, they can have works that are abominable, they can do no good. Some people don't hide their evil works, others hide them completely. God knows our hearts. God knows how we believe. God knows our faith, nothing is hidden from God, nothing.
God is alive!
God is real!
God is a living faith!
God is more real than any other!
If we live our lives believing God is far away and not aware of all our goings on, God is not real to us. If we live our lives believing God only sees us when we want Him to, God is not real. If God exists in our lives ONLY when we worship Him for an hour a week, or a day a week, or when we say grace before a meal or before sleeping… He's not real. God is always with us, always knowing. God is REAL.
Even the brightest person can be a fool. Even the kindest person can be a fool. We can't judge who is and isn't a fool- not always. Some are outright fools boasting there is no God, yet in the end we can't know even their hearts. May God bless us and keep us in Him, may we NEVER be fools, may we always believe that God is real with a very living faith and belief in His reality. Even at our darkest, even IN our darkest hours may our faith hold firm and unwavering.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!! In His righteousness! In His LOVE always!
Amen.
Psa 14:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psa 14:2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
Psa 14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Hebrew word - Fool--
H5036
???
na^ba^l
naw-bawl'
From H5034; stupid; wicked (especially impious): - fool (-ish, -ish man, -ish woman), vile person.
The stupid person.
The wicked person (especially impious)
Dictionary… Impious--
im·pi·ous
[im-pee-uhs, im-pahy-]
Show IPA
–adjective
1.
not pious or religious; lacking reverence for god, religious practices, etc.; irreligious; ungodly.
2.
disrespectful.
Pasted from
The fool.
When we think of a fool we immediately can substitute that word for stupid, or we combine them to say stupid fool. We don't immediately think wicked when we think of fool, or impious, and fools in our minds are always considered vile people. Yet here we have this verse--
The FOOL hath said in his heart THERE IS NO GOD.
-- and this word fool goes beyond the way we normally interpret it. The wicked person, the vile person is more like it. The ungodly, the irreligious person will say in their hearts there is no God.
Do you know anyone that says there is no God? Do you know anyone that doesn't believe in God? Or maybe you know people who believe in God but just not the fact that He has any power at all. Some treat God as a huge joke. In our world anything goes. The rich and powerful, those considered highly intelligent, genius even, these people men and women alike, all fools.
Believing in their hearts that there is no God. Could this also include those who pretend to love God? There are a lot of people who say they believe in God but they don't, not really, not with a living faith. How many pretenders are there? More than we probably care to think about. Jesus will say to many that He never knew them. Why wouldn't He know them? Because they don't have a real faith, a real belief in God. Jesus will never say He never knew one that believes in Him fully in all faith, in all hope, trusting in Him for Salvation. The liar He won't admit to knowing, the fool He won't admit to knowing.
Could it be true that there might be some who say they don't believe in God, yet in their hearts they do?
Saying something in our hearts doesn't mean we always reveal it to others.
This verse goes on to say-- They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Whether blatantly or secretly- people can be corrupt, they can have works that are abominable, they can do no good. Some people don't hide their evil works, others hide them completely. God knows our hearts. God knows how we believe. God knows our faith, nothing is hidden from God, nothing.
God is alive!
God is real!
God is a living faith!
God is more real than any other!
If we live our lives believing God is far away and not aware of all our goings on, God is not real to us. If we live our lives believing God only sees us when we want Him to, God is not real. If God exists in our lives ONLY when we worship Him for an hour a week, or a day a week, or when we say grace before a meal or before sleeping… He's not real. God is always with us, always knowing. God is REAL.
Even the brightest person can be a fool. Even the kindest person can be a fool. We can't judge who is and isn't a fool- not always. Some are outright fools boasting there is no God, yet in the end we can't know even their hearts. May God bless us and keep us in Him, may we NEVER be fools, may we always believe that God is real with a very living faith and belief in His reality. Even at our darkest, even IN our darkest hours may our faith hold firm and unwavering.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!! In His righteousness! In His LOVE always!
Amen.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Secret Faults
Psa 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
Secret faults.
If something is a secret then it's hidden. Our secret faults are hidden from who? Certainly not God. Could it be that some of our faults are hidden from ourselves? People fool themselves all the time don't they? You wouldn't think a person could deceive themselves but they do it all the time. We do it ALL the time. Sometimes we're not aware of our negative traits until another points them out to us and then we often go on the defensive when we're made aware of them. We don't like to have faults, why would we, and we certainly don't like people noting our faults. Before God nothing is hidden, nothing is secret. God knows every single fault we have.
Can we understand our errors? We have them, lots of them. We need to realize that we have errors in our lives, that we have secret faults and we need cleansing from those faults. We are not perfect. We will never be faultless, only Christ is faultless. We need to be cleansed from not only faults we are aware of, but faults we are not aware of. We need to ask God to cleanse us because ONLY God can cleanse us from faults we aren't even aware of. It sounds as if that's a bit too much, but it's not if you really think about it. People aren't blameless just because they are unaware. We like to think we are blameless if we 'just didn't know' something. We feel helpless and confused if we are called out on something because of our lack of knowledge. I can't count the number of times I've used the excuse myself, saying, I didn't know. How can we be accountable for not knowing? Perhaps because there is or was an opportunity for us to know and we missed it? I'm not sure, but we are accountable for missed opportunities, aren't we?
Accountability is something we all have. We will account to God for our lives. We will be judged for our lives. It's no wonder we should ask God to cleanse us of our secret faults. Cleanse us. Make us clean through the blood of the Lamb. Cleanse us Lord we are filthy in ways we know and ways we don't know.
By Your grace and mercy Lord be our all in all, may Your righteousness be ours through your sacrifice.
In You now and forever!
Amen.
Secret faults.
If something is a secret then it's hidden. Our secret faults are hidden from who? Certainly not God. Could it be that some of our faults are hidden from ourselves? People fool themselves all the time don't they? You wouldn't think a person could deceive themselves but they do it all the time. We do it ALL the time. Sometimes we're not aware of our negative traits until another points them out to us and then we often go on the defensive when we're made aware of them. We don't like to have faults, why would we, and we certainly don't like people noting our faults. Before God nothing is hidden, nothing is secret. God knows every single fault we have.
Can we understand our errors? We have them, lots of them. We need to realize that we have errors in our lives, that we have secret faults and we need cleansing from those faults. We are not perfect. We will never be faultless, only Christ is faultless. We need to be cleansed from not only faults we are aware of, but faults we are not aware of. We need to ask God to cleanse us because ONLY God can cleanse us from faults we aren't even aware of. It sounds as if that's a bit too much, but it's not if you really think about it. People aren't blameless just because they are unaware. We like to think we are blameless if we 'just didn't know' something. We feel helpless and confused if we are called out on something because of our lack of knowledge. I can't count the number of times I've used the excuse myself, saying, I didn't know. How can we be accountable for not knowing? Perhaps because there is or was an opportunity for us to know and we missed it? I'm not sure, but we are accountable for missed opportunities, aren't we?
Accountability is something we all have. We will account to God for our lives. We will be judged for our lives. It's no wonder we should ask God to cleanse us of our secret faults. Cleanse us. Make us clean through the blood of the Lamb. Cleanse us Lord we are filthy in ways we know and ways we don't know.
By Your grace and mercy Lord be our all in all, may Your righteousness be ours through your sacrifice.
In You now and forever!
Amen.
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