Wed, May 31st - 8:49AM
God’s Rest Is Sufficient Judges 5:31 May 31
So let all your enemies perish, O Lord; but let them that love him be as the sun when he goes forth in his might. And the land had rest for forty years.
Sisera was a general in the army of Jabin who was king in Caanan and held the children of Israel captive for 20 years and ruled them with an iron fist. The children of Israel cried out unto the Lord and He made preparations to deliver then once again from their oppressors. God sent Deborah to lead Barak and his army to deliver Israel from Sisera and the oppression that they were under. Deborah told Barak that Sisera would be delivered into his hands by a woman.
Barak and his army went out to fight against Sisera and his army. In the heat of the battle as evening began to fall, Sisera went into his tent where Jael had been commissioned to serve him. The Bible tells us that he asked water from her and she brought him milk. She treated him as if he were the king. As he rested, she took a spike and put it to his temple and took a hammer and drove the spike into his head and killed him immediately and then cut his head off. This enemy of God was delivered at the hand of a woman just as Deborah had prophesied, according to what God had spoken to her.
Here we have Deborah’s prayer of thanksgiving for what God had done for the children of Israel. Let all of your enemies perish. We know that we are to pray for our enemies and for those that despitefully use us. However, God’s enemies are of a different category. God knows who His enemies are; we are not so sure.
In contrast, those who love the Lord, Deborah prays, will be like the sun as they go about their business. We are to go with God speed and with His presence and in His power and be blessed in all that we do so that the rest of world will be able to see Jesus in us. We are to shine brightly just as the sun shines in the daytime sky. We are also to be a scorching presence to the tares in the world! The sun gives light but it also burns and scorches the land; for without the rains that come, the land becomes dry and parched and barren because of the sun. God’s presence in our lives is to have a major impact in the lives of those who are around us!
When God delivers His people, He gives them rest! The Bible tells us that there was rest in the land for forty years. When God’s people give Him the opportunity to step in and make His presence known, His burden is always easier and His burden is always lighter and His rest is always sufficient!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (4)
|
Tue, May 30th - 7:45AM
Make the Main Thing The Main Thing Luke 5:30 May 30
But the scribes and Pharisees murmured against His disciples saying, why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
Jesus was walking one day and he saw this republican… I mean a publican, who was a tax collector and He looked at Him with those piercing eyes and said, “Follow Me” and this man got up and left his job and followed after the Lord.
What he did afterwards ought to be an example to us all. Levi, the tax collector, invited Jesus to his house for a great feast that he had prepared and he invited a group of tax collectors to come and meet Jesus as well! Luke tells us that there was a great host of people at Levi’s house for this feast.
When the religious leaders heard what was taking place, they began to criticize Jesus but notice who they approached, they complained to Jesus’ disciples. “Why do you eat and drink with these publicans and sinners?” They were criticizing Jesus’ actions but they were critical of the disciples as well.
Jesus’ opposition did not come from the people; His major source of opposition came from the religious community. It was this religious community that had Him crucified! Paul and the rest of the disciples met the same opposition and to some extent we see the same things going on today. The Jewish leaders failed to recognize the Messiah and because they failed to see Him for who He was, they crucified Him and persecuted the church.
We need to be careful today how we criticize and “persecute” the body of Christ. We may have differences of opinion and we may even disagree on major theological issues but to be openly critical of other ministries and churches is not really our calling. Listen to Jesus’ response to the criticism of the scribes and Pharisees; “They who are whole do not need a physician; but those who are sick. I have come not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Our mandate is to preach the gospel that the Lord has given to us. It is my responsibility to share the Word of God that the Lord has given to me. It is also my responsibility to make sure that this gospel is founded on the Word of God as opposed to the traditions and teachings of men. We all are products of the traditions and teachings that we learned as a child. However, as you and I grow in the admonition and nurture of the Lord even as adults, we should learn more about God’s nature and character and how those things are to impact and influence our lives for God’s glory and our blessing.
Jesus’ focus was directed at people who needed Him. Our focus needs to be in the same place. When my eyes are focused on the people that need Jesus, then I am more likely to hit the mark that God has for me tan when I am focused on what the churches and ministers around me are engaged in. Jesus kept the main thing the main thing and that I believe is our calling and ought to be the priority of our ministry and our witness. You and I need to make sure that we make the main thing the main thing in our lives and in our ministries!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (2)
|
Mon, May 29th - 7:35AM
That It Might Be Well Deuteronomy 5:29 May 29
O that there was such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep My commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children forever.
Moses has the children of Israel gathered together and he is reminding them of all the things that God has done for them. He recounts the giving of the Ten Commandments to them and Moses reminds them of God’s words as He said, “O that there was such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep My commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children forever.”
God gave His people these commandments for a reason. He wanted to be the source of blessing in their lives and the road to obtaining those blessings is forged as we keep His commandments. Listen to God’s heart as He makes this appeal to us. God does not want us to keep His commandments for His benefit! He wants us to keep His commandments for our benefit.
One of the reasons that so many people have such a hard time living an obedient life is because their motives are all messed up. Somehow the devil has convinced us that God is some cosmic kill-joy that sits in heaven and He rewards people who follow Him and punish people who do not.
The truth is, God wants to reward us and bless our lives in ways that we cannot begin to imagine and all He asks of us is that we simply follow after Him by keeping His commandments! In keeping God’s commandments, we must be born again. Once we have come into God’s forever family, our responsibility is really very simple; walk with God in each and every decision that we make and allow His Word to influence and direct those decisions.
When you and I willing to live our lives as God would have us live them, God is able to bless us exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or hope for. He is able to do things for us and with us that it might be well with us and with our families for generations to come!
There really is no excuse for us not to live our lives for the Lord in light of all that He has and is doing for us.
O that there was such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep My commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children forever.
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (2)
|
Sun, May 28th - 7:46AM
Touch Him Today Mark 5:28 May 28
And she said if I could just touch His clothes I will be healed.
Here is one of the great stories found in the Bible. Most of Jesus’ miracles were initiated by Him. Jesus went up to the woman at the well; He went up to the man laying at the pool of Bethesda. He called out to Zacheaus and went home with Him. He is on His way to Jarius’ house because his daughter was sick and unknown to him has already died. However, while they are on this trip, something very special happens.
A woman the Bible tells us who has suffered for several years with an issue of blood has gone to every doctor that she could go to. She has spent everything that she had to try to find a cure for her problem but had not been able to do so. We do not know the circumstances surrounding her decision to come and touch Jesus’ clothes but she believed in her heart that if she could just touch the hem of His garment, she would be healed.
Perhaps she had heard stories of Jesus healing people. Maybe she was sitting on this road on this day and people began running past her saying, “Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming” and something in side her began to overwhelm her as the thought of this Man of God was coming. There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit began to speak to her heart and she knew that this day was a day that could change her life forever. She knew that if she could just touch His clothes, she would be healed.
This woman had a decision to make. It would not be easy for her to get to Jesus. She was unclean. She was outcast because of her condition. Perhaps she was unkept because she had no place to sleep but outside under the elements. I am sure her hair was a mess and her clothes dirty. She knew that Jesus could heal her. The crowd that surrounded Jesus would make it very difficult for her to get anywhere near Jesus. His disciples surrounded Him to help keep the people away from Him. How would she get near enough to touch Him?
We do not know what she did but we do know se did touch His clothes and we know that Jesus did heal her because of her faith in Him.
What decision do you need to make today? What is it that Jesus needs to do for you? What is it that Jesus wants to do for you? It does not matter what Jesus is already doing, He was on His way to raise Jarius’ daughter from the dead but He stopped still because of this woman’s faith in Him. Will Jesus stop still today because of your faith in Him? Will the decisions that you make today cause Him to stop and take note of your faith as demonstrated in your decision to stand with Him in spite of the obstacles that seem to big for you to overcome?
God will stop at the mention of His Name. He will stand still when you and I do as this woman did and allow our faith in Him to have an impact on our decisions that will allow Him to make a difference in our lives. Touch Him today!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (3)
|
Sat, May 27th - 7:59AM
Sin Costs Dearly II Kings 5:27 May 27
The leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and to your generations forever. And he went out from Elisha’s presence as white as snow.
Here is a sad story that is recorded in the Bible. Naaman, who was a captain of the guard for the King of Syria contracted leprosy and he came to Elisha for his help finding a cure. Elisha told Naaman to go and to bath in the Jordan River seven times and God would heal him of his disease. Naaman eventually did what the prophet of God told him to do and God did heal him of his condition.
Naaman returned to Elisha after his healing and he offered Elisha gifts for what he had done for him. Naaman confessed, “I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel and now therefore, take a blessing from your servant.” Elisha still refused to take the gifts from Naaman and Naaman left to return to his home.
Gehazi, who was a servant of Elisha, heard what took place and after Naaman left, he decided to go after him to receive the gifts that Naaman offered to Elisha. Listen to what Gehazi told Naaman, “My master has sent me saying, ‘Behold, even now there be come to me from Mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of prophets, give them I pray thee, a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.’” Naaman gave him the request and Gehazi returned home.
Elisha confronted Gehazi and asked him where he had been and Gehazi said, “I have not been anywhere.” Elisha told Gehazi, “The leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and to your generations forever. And he went out from Elisha’s presence as white as snow.”
Gehazi decided in his heart that he wanted what Elisha refused. He knew that he did not deserve the gifts because he went in Naaman’s name. One of the risks that Gehazi risked was causing Naaman to reject the character of Elisha and ultimately bringing down God’s name in the process. The devil looks for ways to discredit what God does any way He can and he will use anyone that he can to try to accomplish his purpose.
Gehazi sought a gift that was not his to have and so he also paid the price for what the gift was offered for. Because Naaman was so grateful for what God had done in his life for removing the leprosy, he offered Gehazi the gifts he thought Elisha requested. Because Gehazi accepted the gift for removing the disease, Gehazi received the disease as retribution for the gift he took.
My final thought for today is this, “Sin costs us a lot more than we could ever begin to imagine. Gehazi never dreamed his actions would cost him what they cost not only him but his children and his children’s children. Achan never dreamed that his indiscretion would cost him and his family their lives. We do not know the cost that our sin will demand until it is too late. Our responsibility is to not let sin take hold of our lives in the first place so that we do not have to worry about the penalty for that sin. Be sure, the Bible tells us, that our sin will find us out. Gehazi found it out the hard way. Do not let history repeat itself in your heart and in your life.”
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (5)
|
Fri, May 26th - 7:14AM
Traps Ahead Jeremiah 5:26 May 26
For among My people are found wicked men; they lay wait as a man who sets snares; they set a trap and they catch men.
Listen to what Jeremiah wrote in verse 21, “Hear this you foolish people who are without understanding who have eyes and do not see and ears and do not hear. Do you fear Me? Will you not tremble at My presence?”
What is wrong with this picture? God gives us life! We cannot do one thing to keep our hearts beating. However, we live our lives as if God was an after thought and we do what we want to do the way we want to do it and we take very little thought as to what God would have us do when it really counts, when we make decisions on a daily basis. God is not interested in our church attendance and the offerings that we give or the Sunday School classes that we teach or the specials we sing or even the sermons we preach.
God is interested in the only thing that really counts and that is the decisions that we make every moment that our heart beats. What we did yesterday or what we intend to do tomorrow is of very little concern to God. what God cares about is the decisions that we will make as the seconds tick by.
Who are these wicked men who lay in wait and set snares and trap men? God tells us in verse 31, “The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so; and what will you do in the end thereof?
God is speaking to the nation. The pulpits have become sounding blocks for what the people want to hear. God asks, “What do you think the end of this will be?” Nothing has changed! What a foolish people we are today. We have eyes to see and ears to hear but we are not listening any better today than the people of Israel did in Jeremiah’s day. Our iniquity has turned God’s provisions away and our sin is holding back good things from our lives. We want to listen to preachers and teachers that tell us what we want to hear but the responsibility is ours to make sure that the decisions we make on a daily basis are decisions that God would have us make!
There will always be men preaching and teaching what itchy ears want to hear. It is like buying miracle pills that promise weight loss without a change in lifestyle or eating habits. We want to believe that this would work but in reality we know it is not what we need. We have the Bible and the Holy Spirit living in our hearts as God’s children and the challenge is to listen to that and not fall victim to what seems right in our own eyes just because someone tells us what we really would like to hear.
The biggest problem that exists today is teaching and preaching certain parts of the gospel. My dad taught me something that I have never forgotten. He would tell me, “Son don’t ever lie to anyone but you don’t have to tell them everything you know either.” Folks listen. It is easy to present a partial gospel today and seem accurate. However, when we preach and teach and live our lives knowing about the love of God and we fail to make a place for His judgment and His correcting character, we are making a terrible mistake! God asks in verse 22, “What do you not fear Me? Do you not tremble at My presence?” If our personal relationship with God is based on false foundation, then our lives are going to be headed in the wrong direction. Our relationship with the Lord determines what our decisions will be.
We all have ears to hear and eyes to see what God has done for us and what He wants to do in us and with us and through us. As we make decisions on a daily basis, we determine for ourselves the extent that God can bless us and give us life in all of its glory!
Don’t let any man lay a snare to rob you of the glory that God has in store for your life!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (3)
|
Thu, May 25th - 6:34AM
Live in The Spirit Galatians 5:25 May 25
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
James almost failed to get into the Bible when it was compiled and canonized because his writings seemed to contradict what Paul had written regarding salvation and works. James had things right when he wrote, “faith without works is dead” and Paul’s statement right here echoes James’ position. The two doctrines are not contradictory at all but rather complimentary, when takes in their proper context.
Paul tells us, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” What does Paul mean when he makes this statement? Look back at verse 16. Paul writes, ”This I say then, walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” There are two basic ways to live our lives. We can live our lives according to the dictates found in the Word of God or we can live our lives according to the dictates of our sinful flesh and the lust of the eyes. We can make decisions according to the instruction found in the Word of God or we can make those decisions according to what seems right in our own eyes.
Paul wants us to understand that there is only one right way to live our lives as God’s children. We should in every decision that we make walk in the Spirit and say no to the lust of the flesh. These two Paul tells us in verse 17 are contradictory to one another. Not only are they contradictory to one another, they are as different as daylight and dark as they make themselves evident in our lives.
Look at what Paul identifies as the lust of the flesh: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings. Sounds a lot like life in America today! The fruit of the Spirit is peace, joy, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law!
There is no comparison to what the Lord has to offer us when it comes to what the world has to offer. The lust of the flesh cannot deliver what it promises and most of the time we know it will not deliver but what do we do; we go ahead and live our lives and make decisions based on the wrong source of life. You and I as God’s children have the Spirit of God living in our hearts and we have been delivered from the burden and bondage that sin has over us and all we need to do is listen to that still small voice speaking in our hearts as temptation whispers in our ear and heed His instruction and say no to the lust of the flesh and avoid so much heartache and enjoy the fruit of the Spirit in our lives and in the lives of those that we care the most about!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (7)
|
Wed, May 24th - 7:50AM
No Other Choice Isaiah 5:24 May 24
As the fire devours the stubble and the flame consumes the chaff, so shall their root be as rottenness and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have cast away the Law of the Lord of hosts and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel.
Once again we find Israel in turmoil because of her sin against God. Isaiah goes on to write in verse 25, “Therefore the anger of the Lord is kindled against His people and He has stretched out His hand against them and He has smitten them.”
God is a God of love. Jeremiah tells us that God loves us with an everlasting love. He loves us with a love that is beyond our ability to comprehend. God loved us so much He sent His only begotten Son into this world in the form of a man to die on a crudely constructed cross to pay the penalty for our sin so that any one who would believe in Him might not perish but would have everlasting life. God demonstrated his love for me on the cross as He gave the life of His Son so that I could live with Him in heaven forever.
God is a God of love. He is also a God of judgment and a God of retribution. God hates sin. He will do whatever He has to do to rid our lives of this sin that separates us from His presence and His provisions. One of the things that you and I need to remember is God does not hate sin because of what it does to Him; god hates sin because of what it does to us! When an individual or a nation become so burdened down by their own sin, God takes steps to correct that situation so that the future does not continue in that direction. Sometimes God can make corrections that are temporary and we can as individuals make adjustments in the decisions that we make and the lives that we live, and He is able to be God in our lives once again.
There are other times when we as individuals grow cold and indifferent to God’s will and way for our lives that He looks on us as He did the nation of Israel in our text for today and He sends the fire to purge us of the stubble and the chaff that is keeping us from the things that He wants to do in us and for us and through us. When you and I cast the Law of the Lord away in the decisions that we make and we start to despise the Word of the Holy One of Israel, we stand on shaky ground and the sad thing is, there is no reason for us to be in that position in the first place.
.God has done so much for us all that there is no reason for us to despise His Word and to refuse to surrender our lives to the instruction that is found in that Word. God did so much for the children of Israel. He has done even more for you and me in the Lord Jesus. Let God have His way in your life. Let Him give you the desires of His heart. let God bless you and give you life that is full and abundant. Let His peace rule in your hearts and in your lives. Do not let God look at your life and send the fire to purge the chaff and the stubble that can collect around you choking out the life that God has for you. You and I can begin to purge that chaff out ourselves as we begin to walk with God on His terms according to His Word! It is so much easier to let God gradually remove that chaff than to have to send the fire to burn it out, which He will do when we leave Him no other choice.
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (2)
|
Tue, May 23rd - 7:00AM
Faithful to the End I Thessalonians 5:23 May 23
May the peace of God sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, who will also do it.
When it comes to the promises of the Bible there are none any more precious than the promises that are ours when it comes to our salvation and our preservation in the Lord Jesus for eternity. Paul prays for the church family in Thessalonica. He prays that God’s peace would sanctify them in every aspect of their lives. When Jesus touches our hearts, He does more than give us a new heart; He gives us a new life. Go back and look at the impact that Jesus had in the lives of the individuals that He healed. When He healed them physically, He did more than just touch their physical bodies; He healed them spiritually as well. He does the same thing in you and me today.
God’s desire is that we live complete lives. He wants us to be whole physically, mentally and spiritually. We have to remember that God is interested in our eternity more than He is interested in our physical presence here in this life. This is why Paul prays as He does in this passage. The desire of God’s heart is that we allow Him to preserve us until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, either for us in death or in the last days in the resurrection. Either way, God’s desire is that we be ready to spend eternity with Him in heaven when that time does come for us.
Here is the promise that is yours and mine as God’s children; “Faithful is He who calls you, who will do it.” When God saves us, it is for eternity. It is God who has set life and death and eternity and He has made complete provision for it on our behalf. What God has done for us, He will consummate in the end. Salvation is God’s plan. Salvation is God’s doing and what He has promised, He will do. You and I have nothing to do with our salvation as far as earning it is concerned. Our salvation is by God’s grace and His gift to us on the cross and that gift is permanent and is ours for eternity.
You and I can trust in the Lord and His provisions for our lives and we can go to sleep at night knowing that He is ours and we are His if we have come to Him in faith and had our sins forgiven and our hearts cleansed by the blood that stained the Old Rugged Cross. God will remember us when we close our eyes in this life and open them in eternity because He said He would.
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (4)
|
Mon, May 22nd - 8:01AM
Enoch Walked with God Genesis 5:22 May 22
Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years and he begat sons and daughters.
Here is one of the more precious statements in the Bible. “Enoch walked with God.” Enoch lived to be 365 years old. In the early chapters of Genesis we find that God walked in the cool of the garden with Adam and Eve. However after they sinned against Him, the couple was banished from the garden and God’s presence was affected. Here we find Enoch walked with God.
God created us so that He could walk with us. Enoch recognized the benefits and blessings of walking with God and he determined in his heart that he wanted to have the life that God had planned for him. We do not know much about Enoch except for what we are told in these few verses. However, we do know that Methuselah lived to be 969! Lamech, who was Enoch’s grand son lived to be 777. Lamech was Noah’s father. In the 6th chapter we read these words, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” In verse 9 we read “Noah walked with God.”
Noah’s walk with God speaks volumes about Enoch’s walk with God. Enoch’s legacy was evident in his great grandson’s life. Enoch walked with God and his influence impacted Noah’s life and God used Noah to carry out His plan for mankind.
People may not know much about you and me but the legacy that we leave in our children and our children’s children is the most important legacy that we can leave. When you and I walk with God, we will find that our children will notice and it will make a difference in their lives. You and I may not live to see the difference that it may make, but it will make a difference.
Enoch walked with God and one day he walked right out of this world into the very presence of God. You and I can do the same thing! When we close our eyes in this life we will open them in the life to come and if we belong to the Lord, we will find an eternity that is beyond our slightest comprehension! When we walk with God in this life, the chances of our children and their children for generations to come will walk with God increase exponentially and that will make eternity even that much sweeter!
Enoch walked with God. My prayer for you today is that you will be able to put your name where Enoch’s name is and God will be able to say of you as He does of me, “Bob walked with Me.”
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (3)
|
Sun, May 21st - 7:54AM
Does God Hate Sundays? Amos 5:21 May 21
I hate, I despise your feast days and I will not smell your solemn assemblies.
Israel has gone to following idols and has resorted to worshipping every thing under the sun. They continued to offer God His sacrifices and they kept the Holy Days as their fathers had done through the ages. However, God is not interested in our sacrifices or even our worship when our lives are not being lived as He would have us live them.
It is so easy to come to church on Sunday and sit and sing “Oh How I Love Jesus” and then get up and go out for lunch somewhere and act like the devil. We come on Sunday morning and we dress up and look so sanctimonious inside the church house and then head home and it is as if we never even came into the presence of God! We treat those that we love with such utter disgust and fail to even extend common courtesies to them that we would give to complete strangers. Something is terribly wrong with the way we look at things in our world today.
I am afraid that the church today is close to being in the same place that Israel was in, in this day. God did not even want to consider the days that had been set aside for His honor and His glory. He had done so much for the people of Israel. He had done so much for them as a nation. He had brought them out of captivity so many times even when they showed little signs of deserving deliverance. He had blessed them as a nation in so many ways. He had shown them His power and His provisions time after time but they continued to refuse to follow Him.
They followed after other gods and they came into His presence as if they had done nothing wrong at all. They made the mistake of doing what seemed right in their own eyes and they thought that what they were doing satisfied them and it ought to satisfy God.
We need to make sure that we do not make the same mistake in our relationship with Him. You see God is not interested in our sacrifices or our efforts to please Him on our own terms. We may be satisfied but that is not what God is looking for is us. God wants us to put Him first in each and every decision that we make. He wants us to look to Him in prayer in every decision that we make so that He can bless us with His presence because where His presence is so comes His power and His provisions.
When we fail to come into God’s presence, nothing else that we do matters. We need to make God’s presence a priority in each and every decision that we make and then when we come together, God’s spirit is in our midst and His presence becomes our blessing and that is all that God asks of us!
I wonder what God thinks about our lives and our church services and all that we offer to Him today? I wonder if God hates Sundays today?
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (5)
|
Sat, May 20th - 9:17AM
The Ten Commandments Exodus 5:20 May 20
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Here we have the ninth of the Ten Commandments. Can you quote the Ten Commandments? Right now take a piece of paper out and write them down and see how well you do.
Today there is a huge amount of attention being given to the Ten Commandments and where they can and cannot be posted. The thing that concerns me more than where they are posted in public, is where they are posted in our own hearts and lives. Most people do not even know what book the Ten Commandments can be found in, in the Bible. Even less can quote five of the Ten Commandments and the number of people who can actually quote all ten is scary. I am not talking about people on the street, I am talking about people in the pews!
I know that Jesus was asked which of the Ten Commandments was the greatest. The purpose of that question was not to be drawn closer to God but to try to trap Jesus. Jesus’ answer was, “You shall love your God will all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. The second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The first four of the commandments deals with our relationship with God. Our vertical relationship with the Lord is the foundation to all of our other relationships. The remaining six commandments deal with our relationships one with another. These six commandments deal with our horizontal relationships and how we are to relate one to another.
This ninth commandment tells us that we are not to bear false witness against neighbor. Our attitudes toward others have a lot to do with the quality of life that we live. While God is concerned about how we treat our neighbors for their benefit, we need to understand that how we relate to others has so much to do with the quality of the life we live as well. When I can look at my neighbor and see a person that God loves and has worth and is valuable in his or her own right, then there is no reason for me to bear false witness against that person.
When I can look at others who are different from me and find fellowship with them then my life is made fuller! Bearing false witness against others only brings me down; for what I have done is try to elevate my standing by bringing someone else down. That never works. God expects more than that from us as His children. If our relationship with Him is important to us, then our relationship with those around us will be equally important to us as well!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (4)
|
Fri, May 19th - 11:30AM
Lord, Shall I Go? II Samuel 5:19 May 19
David inquired of the Lord saying, shall I go up against the Philistines? “Will you deliver them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
Here is a very important example for all of us to remember and follow. Saul has died. David has been anointed king over all of Israel. News of his rise to the throne came to the Philistines, who David had lived among while he fled from the threats that Saul had made against his life. David and his army even fought beside the king of the Philistines at various times. The army of the Philistines came and camped in the Valley of Rephaim and prepared to do battle with Israel. David makes a very important statement in verse 9th verse of the 4th chapter. Speaking to the people who took Saul and his sons’ life, David said, “As the Lord lives, Who has redeemed my life from all of my adversity, when someone told me, saying Look, Saul is dead, thinking that they brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziglag- the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news.”
David knew that his rise to the throne was God’s doing. He knew that the reason he was alive to become king was because God had delivered him from his adversaries. David knew that “37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God.” (Romans 8)
So, when news came to David that the Philistines were camped near and were preparing to come against Israel, David asked the Lord for guidance. David knew the Philistine army. He knew their weaknesses and he knew their strengths. I am sure that he had a plan in his mind as to how he would defend himself and his army as well as the nation of Israel against them. However, David knew that God had a plan! He knew that there may have been panic in the camp of the Israelites, but there was no panic in heaven for God had a plan. David wanted to know what God’s plan and instruction was and he went to God in prayer for God’s instruction.
You and I have the same opportunity today to go to God for His plan for our lives. God wants to defeat our enemies and deliver us from our adversities. He wants us to look to Him for His instruction and His direction. God does not want us going out into the world and tackling things on our own. He wants us to wait on Him and let Him take care of the circumstances and situations that we face. If we will just do as David did and look to the Lord and wait for His instruction, we too will find that God is more than able to deliver us from all of the adversity that we will ever face.
God has a plan for your life and mine. He has the desire to bless us exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or hope for and all we have to do is go to God for His instruction and then do what His Word and His Spirit tells us to do! Remember something. The Holy Spirit will never tell you to do anything that is contrary to what is found in God’s Word. That is why it is so important for us to take God’s Word and make it a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our path and hide its words in our hearts so that we do not sin against God.
In fact, it is virtually impossible for us to sin against God when we go to Him in an attitude of prayer before we make decisions in our lives! When temptation comes in any form, if we are in a constant attitude of prayer… asking God for His leadership and direction and then for the strength to do what He tells us to do, we will find a life that is beyond our wildest expectations! Try it! Put God to the test and see if He does not bless your life in ways that you could not begin to imagine! David did it and God told him, “Go I will deliver the Philistines into your hand today.”
God will do the same thing for you and me if we will just look to Him and wait for Him to say “Go!”
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (2)
|
Thu, May 18th - 7:51AM
Give Thanks in Everything II Thessalonians 5:18 May 18
In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Does God really expect us to give thanks for everything that happens in our lives? Read this verse again. In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. We have to remember that God says what He means and He means what He says. It is God’s will concerning your life and mine that we give Him thanks for our lives, both the good and the bad.
You may ask, how can I give thanks for everything that happens to me? The first thing we need to remember is, “All things work together for good to them that love the Lord.” The key to understanding this verse is found in the phrase, “working together for good” because God uses the things that happen to us, both good and bad as well as His response to those things and together they work for good for our benefit. God’s desire is to do all He can to lead us in the direction that we need to go so that we can experience all that He has in store for us.
Even the tough times that we experience that are the result of our own foolish decisions can work together for good for us if we will just love the Lord and what He does for us. Sometimes, we have to see the error of our ways before we can begin to see the benefits of God’s provisions and His protection for our lives. God knows what is going on in our lives and He knows the solution to the situations that we are facing or will ever face. Keep another thing in mind; God knows the ramifications of our decisions before we make them. So, through the Holy Spirit God speaks to His children and seeks to lead us in the paths of righteousness so that we do not fall victim to our own devices and the world’s snares.
So, back to our verse for today. In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. The decisions that we make have a lot to do with the things we face in our lives. When we make bad decisions there are consequences that we have to face because of those decisions. God can take those experiences and work them to His benefit and ours so we do need to learn to give God thanks for even the tough moments that we have to face.
Sometimes there are situations that are difficult for us to face that are not the result of bad decisions. Sometimes things happen to us and there is no reason for them to happen. We have to remember to trust God anyway knowing that He is in control and even though we do not know why we are facing the things that we are facing, God has an answer and a solution for us that will work out for our benefit and His glory. Our tribulations may help someone see Jesus in us and lead them to come to know Him as their Savior. Our difficulties may give someone the strength that they need to weather their own storms.
You and I cannot control some of the things that happen to us and around us but we do have the responsibility to control our response to what happens. God’s desire is that you and I give Him thanks for the things that we have to face and trust Him no matter what and leave our lives in His hands.
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (5)
|
Wed, May 17th - 5:18AM
God’s Chastening Job 5:17 May 17
Happy is the man who God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
As a child I never, never liked the chastening hand of my dad. I remember one time, my dad was convinced that I had done something that I did not do. He stood me up and told me that it would be worse telling him a lie about what I had done than to go ahead and admit my guilt and accept my punishment. Well, I didn’t do what he thought I did so I held fast to my story. He gave me a whipping for telling him a lie.
He then asked me if I did it and once again, I told him no… that this was my story and I was sticking to it. He whipped me again. I decided that this could go on all night so after two whippings for something that I didn’t do, I decided that admitting guilt would at least stop the whippings. I got one more. Several years later, I told my dad about that incident, which he did not remember, and he replied, “well, that just made up for some of the whippings you should have gotten.” I guess he was right!
We do not like being corrected. However, the chastening is essential to our growth. God loves us in spite of our faults and our failures; in fact, He loves us so much He will do everything that He can do to get us to turn from our sin and turn to Him. One of the ways that God gets our attention is through chastening. When God chastens us, He does so because of His love for us. God does not chasten us to punish us because of our sin, He chastens us to lead us to repentance and redemption.
In all that we do and all that we put God through, the desire of His heart is to help us move closer to Him. God wants us to look to Him not because He is Holy and He is God and He and He alone deserves our adoration and our attention; God wants us to look to Him because of what He wants to do for us. As we surrender our hearts to Him and we begin to make decisions that are based on the instruction found in His Word, God is able to do things for us that we cannot begin to do for ourselves. God wants to lead us to the place of His abundant blessing and the only way that He can do that sometimes comes in the form of chastening.
Someone one time said, “If you are experiencing God’s chastening hand then rejoice because you know that you are His and that He is yours.” God chastens them that He loves. It is never fun to be out at the woodshed. However, when the time comes to walk away from that woodshed, it is a good feeling and there is this sense of “I do not want to come back here again!” Where sin is concerned, I am afraid we have too short a memory though! Do not despise the chastening hand of the Almighty; this is His way of letting you know that He loves you enough to do something about your current attitude and actions! God does not want you to remain in a state of rebellion and sin because He knows what He has in store for you.
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (4)
|
Tue, May 16th - 11:46AM
Privilege of Prayer James 5:16 May 16
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
What a privilege we have in prayer. When we look to the Bible and at the privilege of prayer, many of us will find ourselves embarrassed at the missed opportunities that are ours that God has planned for us. However, because we are reluctant to use the privilege of prayer, we fail to benefit from the power that prayer gives us and the provisions that are ours because of it.
Notice James’ reference to the effectiveness of prayer; he writes that the effectual fervent prayer of righteous man “availeth much” or is very effective and extremely valuable. Prayer is the most underused privilege that we have as God’s children. We need to recognize this and take steps to change it.
Prayer is effectual when two things take place. First of all, the privilege of prayer is effective when it is “fervent” or practiced on a consistent and continual basis. We need to learn to look to God in each and every decision that we make. We need to be in an attitude of prayer as often as we possibly can be during the coarse of the day. Paul tells us that we ought to “pray without ceasing.” As our day progresses, we ought to be constantly asking God for wisdom to know what to do and then asking Him for the power to do what we know we ought to do.
Then as we make decisions, we ought to thank Him for the wisdom that He has given us and for the decisions that we have made and praise Him for what He has already done in our lives and for what He is going to do! The more we learn to practice the privilege of prayer, the more we will benefit from it. We have looked at the fact that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and because that is true, our ways are not His ways. As we begin the practice of prayer, His thoughts begin to become our thoughts and His ways begin to become our ways and that is when God is able to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
The more consistent and continual our prayer life becomes, the more righteous we become, which is the real key to the power of prayer and its effectiveness. The more we know about God’s thoughts and the more we walk in His statutes, the more He is able to lead us and bless us as our prayers become more effective. The more we walk with Him, the less we walk on our own and the more “selfless” our prayers become and the more effective they become.
Begin today to walk with the Lord in an attitude of prayer. Remember something else; it is very, very difficult to fall victim of temptation when you are in an attitude of prayer! No wonder prayer is so important! Try it; you will like it! What a privilege we have in prayer.
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
|
Comment (1)
|
Mon, May 15th - 5:45AM
Joy Is Gone Lamentations 5:15 May 15
The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned to mourning.
The setting for this passage is found in the latter days of Jeremiah’s time in Israel. God has done so much for Israel but time and time again she has rebelled against God and His ways and God has left the nation to its own devices. Sin always takes us farther than we want to go; it always keeps us longer than we want to stay and it always costs us more than we want to pay. This was true in Jeremiah’s day and it is true in our day.
Sin may seem fun for a season but the day comes when payday comes for that sin and when that time comes it is never easy. The Israelites had lost their joy. Their dance had turned to mourning. The problem that they experienced had to do with where they placed their joy in the first place. When it is time for us to make a decision, we have two basic choices. We can do what the Word of God instructs us to do or we can do what seems right in our own eyes. One choice is black and white and relatively clear to the child of God most of the time.
The other choice has a number of options attached to it. The devil whispers in one ear; the world offers an option; our own desires make an appeal. There are a number of options available to us and only one offers our best option and that is God’s plan because it is the only one that brings God’s provisions and His protection into our lives.
The children of Israel had chosen to follow every thing other than God’s direction for thie lives. Now, this does not mean that they turned away from God all together. They included God in their decisions but only when it was convenient for them to do so. They did worship God but they also included worship of other gods and things became a priority in their lives. Their own agendas took precedent in what they did and how they did it.
Here is what happened. When sin had taken its course in their lives, their lives were not miserable because of God’s judgment or His punishment because they had been so rebellious and disobedient, their lives lacked joy and happiness because the direction that their lives had taken took them away from God’s provisions and they found themselves back in the wilderness of life and that robbed them of the joy that they thought they would find. Sin never pays any dividends; it only produces heartache and disappointment and discouragement.
Sin destroys life. God is the Giver of life. His ways are life and His Words are the source of life to us as His children. When we chose to follow after God’s will and His way for our lives, our path is ordered and our destination is determined not by my own choices, but by the choices that God has paid out for me. He knows where I need to go and He knows what He has in store for me. I have to be where He wants me to be in order to receive what He has for me! If I go anywhere else or choose any other path, no matter how noble my intentions may have been, my life will not be all that God could have made it.
When you and I choose not to walk with God and we go our own way, the day will come when we too will say with the children of Israel, ” The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned to mourning.” My prayer is that we will make the decision today to avoid that pain and sorrow and turn to Jesus and let Him do for us what we can never begin to do for ourselves!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (1)
|
Sun, May 14th - 7:30AM
Love Constrains Us I Corinthians 5:14 May 14
The love of God constrains us.
Here Paul is saying that the love of God limits him or holds him back. In verse 11 Paul talks about the terror of the Lord and how his responsibility is to persuade men to come to Christ. However, it is not what Paul says that changes the hearts of men; it is the love of God revealed to them through the preaching of the Word of God. There are no doubt a lot of things that Paul would have loved to say but his responsibility was to preach the Word and leave the results up to the Lord.
Paul no doubt was ridiculed because of the message that he preached. In verse 13 he mentions that he had been accused of being beside himself and even a drunkard for the preaching of the cross and the resurrection was foolishness to them that were lost and without Christ. Neither the Jews nor the Romans wanted to hear that kind of foolishness. His message was not a very welcomed message. However, he had no choice but to continue preaching the truth of the Word of God for in that Word was the power of the gospel to save them that were lost.
Paul says that the love of God constrained him because by the sin of one man, all men deserved death. But Jesus died for all that they who lived should live for Him. The love of God is a very wonderful thing and there is nothing that can begin to compare to it. The Bible tells us, “He first loved us.” (I John 4:19)
We are indeed blessed and our lives worth living because God has loved us with an everlasting love. Our salvation is the result of His love for us. Our existence is the result of His love for us.
You and I need to be reminded with each end every breath that we take, that God is the giver of life and the sustainer of life. Without Him, we would cease to exist. Our heart would stop beating and our lungs would cease to take in oxygen; in fact, without Him there would be no oxygen to breath. God has chosen to give us life and given us the opportunity to experience that life in all of its fullness as we respond to His love for us and walk with Him according to His statues and His Word.
Paul preached not because he loved the attention or the great crowds of people that listened to His messages. He preached because of the love of God shown to him and the love that he had in his heart for God. Paul had a unique experience with the Lord. Jesus struck him blind on the road to Damascus. Paul was grateful for that day because he knew that the Lord could have and by all rights, should have struck him dead that day.
You and I have life because God loves us and wants to give Himself to us and in His giving of Himself to us, we might have life and have it more abundantly. Oh how the love of God should constrain each of us as it did the Apostle Paul to live for Him each and every day that He gives us life!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (1)
|
Sat, May 13th - 7:33AM
Knowing and Believing I John 5:13 May 13
These things have I written to you that believe in the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Here is a very interesting passage of scripture. The Apostle John said that He has written what he has written for a purpose and that purpose is that those who have read what he has written and hear what he has written preached might “know that they have eternal life.” Christianity is a “no hope so” and a “no guess so” life. God wants us to know that we have eternal life and He wants us to know whose we are.
John writes in verses 11 and 12, “This is the record that God has given to us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son has life and he that has not the Son of God has not life.” Eternal life is in God’s Son and in Him alone. You and I cannot earn our salvation. We will never deserve salvation on our own goodness. Salvation comes from God and it is based on what Jesus did for us on the cross. If we have the Son, we have life and if we do not have the Son we do not have life. It really is that simple.
What is really interesting in this passage of scripture and I have read this passage a number of times and this is the first time that the order which John writes this passage has stood out. He wrote, “that we may know that we have eternal life and that we may believe on the name of the Son of God.” I would have thought that the order would have been reversed. As I thought about what John has said, I could not help but be amazed at how wonderful the Word of God really is.
God wants us to know that we are His. Just like a proud parent, God wants us to know that we are His and He is ours and He wants the rest of the world to know that we are His as well. It is no wonder that the angels in heaven rejoice when a lost person gives his heart to the Lord. When the Holy Spirit moves into our heart and into our life, we are going to know it and He will begin to lead us and guide us in the direction that God would have us go and as we surrender our decisions to the leadership of the Holy Spirit we learn that we can place our faith and our trust in the Lord.
John wants us to know that when we are saved, there is a lot for us to learn about trusting the Lord and the more we learn to trust Him the more He is able to do for us and with us. Believing in the name of Jesus involves more than lip service or confession. Confession is important for our salvation. Dedication is imperative to our sanctification. Once we begin this new life in Christ, there is a lot of change that will take place as we learn to walk with the Lord in the Light of His Word.
This is the process of “believing in the Name of the Lord.” The more we come to believe and understand that God is faithful to His promises and that His way is indeed The Way, our lives begin to take on a whole new meaning and perspective and we begin to see things in a whole new way. The Son is life and the more that we learn how much life there is in Him, the better our lives become and the more blessed we will be and the more of a blessing we will be to others.
><> Bob
Comment (2)
|
Fri, May 12th - 6:42AM
Manna Ceased Joshua 5:12 May 12
And the manna ceased on the morning after they had eaten of the corn of the land. Neither had the children of Israel manna any more but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
God brought that children of Israel out of Egypt and He began to supply their need as He gave them manna to eat and water to drink. For 40 years, God fed them every day and He did not need trucks to deliver the goods nor did He need a merchandising giant like Wally World to facilitate the deal.
When the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, and they ate from the provisions of the land, the manna from heaven ended. The point here is this; Gods provisions are always there for His children! The children of Israel did not need manna any more because God moved them into a land flowing with milk and honey. God moves us from the wilderness experiences that we go through into promised lands that He has prepared for us. When He does those things for us, His provisions change and those provisions usually are so much better than what we are used to.
The children of Israel did not inherit the Promised Land because of their faith. God made a promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to bring the children of Israel to a land that He had prepared for them. This generation of Israelites were recipients of that promise. This generation benefited from Gods goodness and His grace to them. What they did with this gift was up to them.
God will bring you and me into our own promised land that is flowing with milk and honey in His time. Our decisions and determination to walk with God has a lot to do with the timing of Gods blessing in our lives. When we surrender our hearts to Him and determine to walk with God according to His commandments, God begins to bless us exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or hope for. When God begins to bless us as He so much wants to do, He gives us provisions that can radically change our lives! As God seeks to draw us closer to Him, He does so that He may bless us.
As God blesses us, our responsibility is to continue to walk with Him and allow Him to the giver and sustainer of our lives. God wants to fight our battles; He wants to take care of our need. He wants to give us the desires of His heart. He wants to give us life that begins today and will last for all eternity! Gods provisions are ours as we walk with Him and He is able to do for us things that we cannot do for ourselves.
God has blessed my life in ways that I could have never begun to do on my own and I am more determined today that I have ever been, to walk with God according to His instruction and His direction. The desire of my heart and determination of my soul is to live for the Lord who has done so much for me! I am glad that God has given me a life flowing with milk and honey; I am glad that the manna has ceased! I dont want to go back into that wilderness!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (1)
|
Thu, May 11th - 7:56AM
Servants of the God of Heaven and Earth Ezra 5:11 May 11
And they returned an answer to us saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and set up.
We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth. The men who made this statement were building the Temple that God had commissioned them to build. As it is with things today, there was opposition to building the Temple but these men knew that their orders came from the God of heaven and earth and that was their motivation as well as their security. They were going to build the Temple.
Here is the great thing with this story. Darius who was king of Babylon issued a decree to finish building the Temple and part of that decree required the provinces to collect taxes to help build the Temple! When the people of God place their trust in Him and determine in their hearts to do what the Lord has called them to do and they live their lives according to Gods commandments, God is able to do things that would seem impossible to men!
When you and I determine in our hearts that we are the servants of the God of heaven and earth then God will be able to do things for us that we cannot begin to do on our own. This is true for our lives and it is true for our churches and it can be true for our nation. God wants to build our lives and our churches and our nation as well as shape the world that we live in. However, before He can do what He wants to do in us and for us, we have to determine in our hearts and in our decisions on a daily basis, that we are going to be servants of the God of heaven and earth.
You see, God is not just the God of heaven; He is the God of earth as well. God is in complete control of all that takes place in heaven as well as on earth. He is in complete control of everything that is taking place in your life and in mine. There is no obstacle that is too big for God to overcome. God can even cause governments to reverse their position with respect to the role of religion in that society. If you and I will determine to stand with God according to His statutes and His instruction, we may find ourselves living in a nation that has more respect for the God of heaven and earth!
In Psalm 33:12 we read, Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people who He has chosen for His inheritance. The nation whose God is the Lord does not refer to the people in the White House, but rather the people who are in the church house! When we stand for God, God will stand for us and there are no limits as to what God can and will do for those who place their faith in the God of heaven and earth.
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (2)
|
Wed, May 10th - 6:24AM
Be Reconciled to God Romans 5:10 May 10
For if when we were enemies (of God), we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
In II Corinthians 5:19 we read that, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. Nowhere is there ever the need for God to be reconciled to man; it is always God doing the reconciling and it is always man being reconciled to God. What is reconciliation? To be reconciled is to be accepted after an offense has been committed. Reconciliation is more than forgiveness. For it is possible to be forgiven and not accepted.
God has chosen to accept us in light of the fact that we are sinners and as sinners we are enemies of God. Even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He willingly laid down His life to pay the penalty for the sin of the men that drove the nails into His hands and feet; He willingly gave His life for the crowd that stood by and watched Him as He hung and the cross and as they ridiculed Him and spat on Him. He willingly gave His life on that cross for you and me in our sin and rebellion against Him so that we could be reconciled to God by the blood that He shed at Calvarys cross.
God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world unto Himself. In Jesus, God is able to make us acceptable in His sight. He is able to forgive our sin because the penalty for our sin has already been paid. As God would see it, there is no reason whatsoever that anyone perish but that all would come unto repentance. The price has been paid for the sins of all men. The only thing that remains is our being reconciled to God through the blood that was shed on the cross.
If we are reconciled to God by His death on the cross, then we who are reconciled will be saved by His life through the resurrection. Salvation begins and ends with God. Thee is no other name under heaven whereby men may be saved. No one can come to the Father but By the Lord Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit that draws him and it is the Holy Spirit that convicts us of our sin and our need for Him as we take the Word of God we listen to and we read its Words.
God is reconciling the world unto Himself and we can find comfort and assurance in those Words because Gods Word tells us because He lives we too can live also! We need to make sure that we
Hear His Word and then heed that Word so that our faith will take root and allow the reconciling work of the Lord Jesus make us acceptable in Gods sight. There is no greater gift that we can have than to be forgiven and then accepted by our Heavenly Father because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (1)
|
Tue, May 9th - 9:28AM
Israels Sin Ezekiel 5:9 May 9
I will do in you that which I have not done before and I will not do any more the like, because of all of your abominations.
Ezekiel comes onto the national scene in Israel to prophesy of Jerusalems fall. The days that Ezekiel is facing are going to be very difficult. The message that God will give him to deliver will not be a popular one. In fact, this verse comes from some of the first part of the message that Ezekiel will begin to share with the nation of Israel.
God tells Jerusalem that she has changed His commandments into wickedness more than all of the other nations that surround her. God tells them that they refused His judgments and statutes and they refused to walk in them. Therefore, God tells them, I will do in you that which I have not done before and I will not do any more the like, because of all of your abominations.
What is it that God was going to do that he had not done before? God was about to hold back His grace and His mercy and He was about to bring His wrath on the nation of Israel. He was about to do these things because of Israels sin.
The thought that I have today is, I wonder what God has to be thinking as He looks at America and how He has planted her in the center of the nations and He has blessed us tremendously and we too have not walked in His statutes and we have not kept His judgments. I wonder what God is thinking about not doing for us that He has been doing and what He is not going to do for us any more because of our sin.
Then I am reminded of my own sin and my own refusal to walk in His statutes and His judgments and I wonder what God has to think about my life and the decisions that I have made and continue to make. God has done so much for me and so many of us. He has blessed us beyond expectation. But many of us have continued to live our lives doing things the way we want to do them and living our lives according to what seems right in our own eyes.
God wants to bless us and the only thing that stands in the way of His provisions is His presence in our lives, which is affected by our sin as we make decisions on a daily basis. Sin separates us from God. When His presence is limited, so are His provisions and His power in our lives. This is true for us as individuals and it is true for us as a nation. We need Gods presence in our lives!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
|
Comment (1)
|
Mon, May 8th - 7:43AM
Our Adversary I Peter 5:8 May 8
Be sober and be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
We have an advocate in the Lord Jesus and an adversary in the devil. The devil is a liar and a master of deception. He looks to deceive us into thinking that any way is equal to or better than Gods way for our lives. He masks his efforts by making us think, this is not that bad or my situation makes this alright. The devil wants us to make compromises and exceptions when it comes to applying the Word of God in our lives. Notice a very important statement here; Peter tells us that the devil walks about seeking whom he may devour.
While God is omni-present and can be anywhere and everywhere at any given moment, the devil is not. He can only be in one place at any given time. Now, make no mistake about it; the devil is relentless in his efforts to ensnare us and keep us from experiencing the goodness of God in our lives and if he can he will do everything possible to keep us from coming to Christ in repentance and salvation. His goal is to look for every opportunity to devour or deceive anyone he can anytime he can.
Peter tells us that we are to be sober and vigilant and the idea is that these things will help us resist the devil. What does he mean as he tells us to be sober and vigilant? Listen to the New Living Translation; Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. To be sober here is to be mentally sharp and vigilant is to be dedicated or determined to stand. Peter goes on to say in very 9, resist the devil. We are able to do this only as we are mentally sharp and focused on the Word of God and then determined to stand firm on Gods promises and we live our lives, as He would have us live them.
Faith is believing that God is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything He says He will do. When I focus my life on Gods Word and I begin to make decisions because of what Gods Word says, my determination helps me stand against the lies of the devil. It is difficult to fall for the devils lies when my mind is focused on Gods promises! It is difficult to fall into temptation when I am in an attitude of prayer!
You and I as Gods children need to make sure that we are deliberate in our direction and disciplined in our decisions so that as the devil whispers in one ear, we can hear the Holy Spirit whisper in the other ear, saying, This is Gods way and we follow in that direction. If will take God by the hand, He will deliver us from the lying deceitful wiles of the devil who is our adversary who wants nothing more than to see us out and destroy our chances to get to heaven, Once we belong to the Lord, the devil will seek to destroy our joy in the Lord and he will seek to take away our witness and our effectiveness in our communities and in our families. He is a worthy opponent but we have to remember that he is already defeated and he is easily overcome if we keep the Lord as the focus of our lives.
Greater is He that is in us that he that is in the world.
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (3)
|
Sun, May 7th - 10:04AM
Walk By Faith II Corinthians 5:7 May 7
for we walk by faith and not by sight.
Here Paul is talking about our lives and the fact that death is a reality for us all. He says in verse 1 that when our life is over and we leave this earthly tent, we go to heaven where there is a new house is prepared for us not made with hands eternal in the heavens. Paul says in verse 5 that it is God who has prepared this new body for us in Heaven. He has given to the Christian the Holy Spirit as a guarantee so that we will be ever confident knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
Paul then writes: for we walk by faith and not by sightwe are confident yes, well pleased to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
We are saved by faith and we are sustained by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Without faith it is impossible to be saved and without faith it is impossible to be sustained to have the life that God so much wants us to have.
We are to allow faith to become the foundation for our lives. As Christians we are to let faith become our walk. We live our lives by one of two means. We go where we want to go and do what we think is best for our lives. We live our lives by what we can see, feel, touch and understand. We live our lives by sight or we live it by faith doing the things that the Word of God and the Spirit of God tells us to do.
Faith is a walk with God that becomes a way of life. Faith is a decision process that gives priority to the Word of God in the decisions we make. Faith is trusting God and His ways for our lives to the point that we are willing to say to Him God I am going to do things Your Way no matter how it looks! You created me and I know that You have my best interests at heart and Your plans to provide for me and to protect me are so much better than plans that I can have on my own
God I believe that You are everything that You say You are and that You will do everything that You say you will do for me and with me and through me! I want Your best for my life!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (2)
|
Sat, May 6th - 8:07AM
They Shall Not Find God Hosea 5:6 May 6
They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord. They shall not find him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.
Israel is in a period of degradation and decline. God says that Israel will go with their flocks and they will seek after the Lord. However, God says that they will not find Him for He has withdrawn Himself from them. There are a couple of comments that I would like to make with reference to this passage of scripture.
First of all, the Bible tells us that Gods Spirit will not always strive with us. God had done so much for the nation of Israel but every time they turned around, they were chasing after every wind of philosophy and religious thought. God had delivered them time after time yet they still returned to their sinful ways and idolatry. There comes a time when God says, Enough is enough.
God says, they shall look for the Lord but will not be able to find Him because He has withdrawn Himself from them. Does God withdraw Himself from people? He said He did so the answer has to be yes He does. Why did God withdraw Himself from Israel? He turned His back on them so that they would turn their hearts back to Him. Everything God does He does to draw all men unto Him.
In our lives, our willful sin against God can make our prayers less effective as well. When we turn to seek Him, He may be hard to find as well. It is not that God turns His back from us forever, but if He can turn His face away from us from time to time to get our attention He will do it.
God goes on to say in verse 15, I will go and return to My place till they acknowledge their offense and they seek My face; in their affliction they will seek me early.
God wants us to seek His face and He wants us to do it early and often. God wants us to look into His eyes as opposed to His hands. God wants us to trust Him because of Who He is as opposed to what He does for us. However, what God does for us, He does because of who He is. God wants us to look to Him. Period. He does not want to turn His head away from us. He wants to be our God; He wants to have fellowship with us. He wants to fight our battles and bless us exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or hope for.
When you and I turn to Him, He always turns to us. Actually, when we turn to God it is because God has already turned toward us and extended His grace and goodness to us! When we are not able to feel Gods presence, we need to look into our hearts and make sure we are walking with Him in His statutes and not walking after the ways of the world and the desires of our hearts and what seems right in our own eyes. We need God in our lives each and every day.
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (1)
|
Fri, May 5th - 7:32AM
Blessed Are the Meek Matthew 5:5 May 5
Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed or happy are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. We live in a world where it is clear that only the fittest survive. The people who seem to get ahead in this world system are the people who make the most noise and step on the most toes to get to the top. When you look at qualifications of the highest paying jobs, you will not find must be meek and mild. So, how are the meek to inherit the earth? Is Jesus Sermon on the Mount out of date in the 21st century? No it is not!
There is a big difference in the worlds picture of meekness and the meekness that Jesus is telling us that we need in our lives. The difference has to do with where we place our faith and trust and our allegiance as we make decisions in our daily lives. Meekness in the eyes of the world, is a picture of a quiet, mealy mouthed individual who will not stand for anything. I am reminded of the statement that says, if a man will not stand for something, he will fall for anything. God wants us to know what we believe and He wants us to believe what we know. The meekness that Jesus is speaking of is the meekness that is expressed in our obedience to Gods Word and His will and way for our lives.
Paul tells Titus that we are to be peaceful, not speaking evil of those around us nor being brawlers. Meekness is not a sign of weakness, but rather confidence. Our confidence is not to be in ourselves; this is often expressed in arrogance and pride. Meekness is the strongest form of personal confidence because our confidence and trust is in God and what He has in store for us as opposed to what we can do for ourselves and on our own. I would rather have Jesus and what He has for me than anything that the world seems to have to offer.
Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth or the land, which is a direct reference to the Promised Land or the promises of God. This meekness is a blessing in and of itself. For not only are the meek safe and secure in this life, but we are safe and secure in death as well! Someone has said that you cannot have peace in living until you first find peace in dying. This confidence in God gives us that peace! Gods promises are two fold; there are promises of Gods provisions today and there are promises that pertain to our eternity. There is no greater peace and no greater life than the life that is built on the Rock of Ages and the Rose of Sharon. The meek will receive all the blessings that the earth has to offer and all of the benefits that heaven has to offer.
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (2)
|
Wed, May 3rd - 7:20AM
Prayer in the Morning Psalm 5:3 May 3
My voice shall You hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct my prayer unto You and will look up.
There is no better way to begin our day than to look up to the heavens in prayer to our heavenly Father. David says, My voice shall You hear in the morning. He wanted God to know his voice. There are a number of people who when they hear my voice on the telephone they know who I am without having to tell them who I am. David wanted God to know his voice. He did not want his voice to be a strange voice to God. David did not want God to have to look at His heavenly caller ID to know who he was when he prayed!
David prayed in the morning every morning. David knew that the best possible way to begin his day headed in the right direction was by looking to the Lord in prayer. Prayer does a number of things for us. First of all, in prayer we are acknowledging God in our lives as well as our need for Him in our lives. Prayerlessness says in effect, God I dont need You nor do I care about your will for my life. Prayer comes in a variety of forms. There are prayers of thanksgiving; there are prayers of forgiveness and repentance. There are prayers for Gods guidance and His blessings for our lives. There are prayers for those around us. On and on we can go with examples of the types of prayers that we can pray to God. These prayers all say to God, God I need You in my life.
In our prayer time, we spend a lot of time talking but if we will just be still and know that He is God, we will be surprised to find out that God will speak back to us in our prayer time. We may not and probably will not hear an audible voice, but I have on a number of occasions had a thought that came to me in my prayer time that I knew it had to be God just as sure as if He was sitting beside me and speaking to me audibly. One of those times, I was praying and singing in my car as I was driving somewhere, and I had this sense come over me saying, as I was with the others, (meaning the people of the Bible) so will I be with you. I was so overwhelmed I actually had to pull over and get out of my car.
When I got home that afternoon, I went to check my mail and there was a mail piece that contained sermons and illustrations that I got once a month. One the front page was the following heading; As I was With Moses, So Will I Be With You. This was a sermon outline on the life of Joshua! God does speak to His children when we are obedient and take time to spend time with Him in prayer. He will lead us and guide us because it is difficult to submit to temptation if we learn to go to God in prayer when that temptation faces us. Think about that for a minute.
Perhaps one of the best statements that I have ever heard regarding prayer in the morning goes something like this. If you do not get up and seek God in the morning, it is no wonder that He is hard to find in the middle of the day. There is a lot of truth to that statement. If we really want God to be with us during the coarse of the day, it is imperative that we begin the day looking up and praying that the Lord lead us and guide us in the way that we should go as we begin that day as opposed to Lord please get me out of this mess that I have gotten myself into today!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (2)
|
Tue, May 2nd - 12:00PM
This is Worth Reading!!!!!
>>>>
>>>>> Subject: Do you want a donut?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr
>>>> Christianson, a > > studious man who taught at a small college in
>>>> the western United > > States. Dr.Christianson taught the
>>>> required survey course in > > Christianity at this particular
>>>> institution. Every student was
>>>>>> required to take this course his or her freshman year, regardless of
>>>>
>>>>>> his or her major.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Although Dr Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of
>>>>>> the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked
>>>>>> upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite
>>>> his best > > efforts, most students refused to take Christianity
>>>> seriously.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve.
>>>>>> Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going
>>>>
>>>>>> to seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was
>>>> well > > liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen.
>>>>>> He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was
>>>>
>>>>>> the best student in the professor's class.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he
>>>>>> could talk with him.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "How many push-ups can you do?"
>>>>>>>> Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you
>>>>>> think you could do 300?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Steve replied, "I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Well, I can try," said Steve.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I
>>>>
>>>>>> need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to
>>>> work. > > Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,"
>>>>>> said the professor.
>>>>>>>> Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it!"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday.
>>>>>> Let me explain what I have in mind."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the
>>>>
>>>>>> room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of
>>>>>> donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the
>>>>>> extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting
>>>> swirls. > > Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last
>>>> class of the
>>>>>> day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a
>>>>
>>>>>> party in Dr. Christianson's class.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked,
>>>>
>>>>>> "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Cynthia said, "Yes."
>>>>>>>> Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve,
>>>> would you > > do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"
>>>>>>>> "Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then
>>>>>> Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on
>>>>>> Cynthia's desk.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe,
>>>>
>>>>>> do you want a donut?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten
>>>>>> push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the
>>>>>> first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before
>>>> they got > > their donut.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott
>>>>
>>>>>> was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He
>>>>>> was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"
>>>>>>>> Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."
>>>>>>>> Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and
>>>> asked, > > "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a
>>>> donut he > > doesn't want?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten pushups.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson said, "Look! this is my classroom, my class, my
>>>>>> desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you
>>>>>> don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just
>>>>>> stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to
>>>>
>>>>>> be getting up and down. You could start to see a little
>>>>>> perspiration coming out around his brow.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson started down the third row. > > Now the
>>>> students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr.
>>>>>> Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sternly, Jenny said, "No."
>>>>>>>> Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve,
>>>>>> "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut
>>>>>> that she doesn't want?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students
>>>>
>>>>>> were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts
>>>>>> on the desks.
>>>>>>>> Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort
>>>> to get > > these pushups done for each donut. There began to be
>>>> a small pool
>>>>>> of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were
>>>>>> beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in
>>>>>> the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the
>>>>>> full ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of
>>>>>> Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over
>>>>>> to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve
>>>>>> closely.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson started down the
>>>>>> fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other
>>>>>> classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the
>>>>>> radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor
>>>>>> realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34
>>>>>> students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to
>>>>
>>>>>> make it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the
>>>>>> next.
>>>>>> Near the end of that row, Steve was
>>>>>> really having a rough time. He was
>>>>>> taking a lot more time to complete each set.
>>>>>>>> Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do
>>>>>> I have to make my nose touch on each one?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups.
>>>>>> You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson went on.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the
>>>>>> room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one
>>>>>> voice, "NO!
>>>>>> Don't come in! Stay out!"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Jason didn't know what was going on.
>>>>>> Steve picked up his head and said,
>>>>>> "No, let him come."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Professor Christianson said,
>>>>>> "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups
>>>>>> for him?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Steve said, "Yes, let him come in.
>>>>>> Give him a donut."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of
>>>>
>>>>>> the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Jason, new to the room, hardly knew
>>>>>> what was going on. "Yes," he said,
>>>>>> "give me a donut."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Steve did ten pushups very slowly
>>>>>> and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and
>>>>>> sat down.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started
>>>> on those > > visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were
>>>> now shaking with
>>>>>> each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of
>>>>>> gravity.
>>>>>> By this time sweat was profusely
>>>>>> dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy
>>>>>> breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.
>>>>>>>> The very last two students in the room were two young
>>>> women, both > > cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson
>>>> went to Linda, the
>>>>
>>>>>> second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten
>>>>>> push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Then Dr Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan.
>>>>>> "Susan, do you want a donut?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr.
>>>>>> Christianson, why can't I help him?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do
>>>>>> it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing
>>>>>> that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or
>>>>
>>>>>> not.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at
>>>>>> my grade book.
>>>>>> Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade.
>>>>>> Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me
>>>>>> inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a
>>>>>> player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you
>>>>
>>>>>> could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push
>>>>>> ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the
>>>>>> understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of
>>>>>> him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he
>>>>>> fell to the floor.
>>>>>>>> Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said.
>>>>>> "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead
>>>>>> to the Father, 'into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the
>>>>>> understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him,
>>>>
>>>>>> He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of
>>>>
>>>>>> us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically
>>>>
>>>>>> exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.
>>>>>>>> "Well done, good and faithful servant,"
>>>>>> said the professor, adding "Not all
>>>>>> sermons are preached in words."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might
>>>>
>>>>>> understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy
>>>>>> that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and
>>>>>> Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not only His Begotten Son, but gave
>>>>>> Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether
>>>>>> or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the
>>>>>> desk?"
>
><>
Comment (2)
|
Tue, May 2nd - 6:46AM
Why Should I Obey The Lord Exodus 5:2 May 2
And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord nor will I let Israel go.
Wow! Man was Pharaoh wrong!
God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let His people go. This is Pharaohs response to Moses first meeting with him. We all know what happened in the events that would soon follow. God brought plagues down on Pharaoh and Egypt. God did this for a number of reasons. Of coarse, God could have taken Israel out of Egypt without even having Moses go to him and say a word.
However, to prove to everyone both in Moses day and even in our day today, God was patient and let Pharaoh think that he is exercising his royal authority over Israel. There are a couple of thoughts that I want us to look at with reference to Pharaohs comments. First of all, Pharaoh asked, Who is the Lord that I should obey Him?
People are still asking that same question today! People in the pews may not be asking that question but their actions ask it every day. The world has no idea who God is and the extent of His love for them. There is no urgency today to obey the Lord. People want to do what seems right in their own eyes and that is all that Pharaoh was doing. He knew that Israel had a God. However, because they were a defeated people and their allegiance to their God was only evident in their worship, Pharaoh saw nothing in their lives that would make him want to consider their God as his God.
The real problem with this still exists today. Our churches are too much like Israel was in Pharaohs day. We are coming to church and sitting in the pews but we get up and go out into the world and there is nothing unique or different about us that makes the world that is looking at us want what we have. Our neighbors are saying the same thing that Pharaoh said, Who is this Lord that I should obey His voice?
Pharaoh went on to say, I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go. People today are hearing the gospel message just as Pharaoh did and they are saying in effect, I do not know the Lord and I am not going to do what He says I ought to do. Pharaoh found out who the Lord is and the day is coming when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. People will come to know who Jesus is and they will obey His voice. The only real question is when will that time come.
Gods plan and purpose is for us to bend our knee in this life so that we will be able to live with Him forever in the life that is to come. Those who bend their knee in the life to come, will spend eternity separated from God and His grace forever in a place not prepared for them but for the devil and his angels. Heaven is a place that is prepared for people who are prepared to meet Him.
We need to be obedient to the Lord first. We need to live our lives as if the Lord were right there with us because in reality He is! His presence in our lives gives us His power and His provisions as we walk with Him in obedience and the rest of the world is going to see what we have and they will want to have what God has in store for them! If we will live our lives in Gods victory, people will be hard pressed to look at us and say, I dont know your God and I will not obey Him!
.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."
><> Bob <><
Comment (1)
|
Mon, May 1st - 6:51AM
The Peace of God Romans 5:1 May 1
Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one thing that we want in this life is peace with God. God created us with this inner need for peace that He alone is the source. People work their fingers to the bone and sacrifice everything they have to find this peace but the truth is only God can satisfy this longing that burns in our hearts for Him. How do we have access to this peace that we so desperately need?
This verse starts out with the word, Therefore so in order to find the answer to that question, we have to go back to the verses that precede it. Here we find Paul talking about the faith of Abraham. We read in chapter 4, 20 Abraham never wavered in believing Gods promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised. 22 And because of Abrahams faith, God declared him to be righteous. 23 Now this wonderful truththat God declared him to be righteouswasnt just for Abrahams benefit. 24 It was for us, too, assuring us that God will also declare us to be righteous if we believe in God, who brought Jesus our Lord back from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God. (NLT)
Jesus died for our sins. He died in our place so that we could live for Him. He was raised from the dead so that He could make us right with God. It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that gives us our hope! In Jesus death, burial and resurrection that gives us our righteousness, which is being right with God or having a right standing before Him. This righteousness is not our own, but is given to us because of what Jesus did for us on the cross and sealed for us in His resurrection. All of our efforts on our own to be righteous will end up in futility in the end because we cannot have this righteousness on our own. We must be born again as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3. Listen to what Paul writes in the 10th chapter of Romans, 1Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, The man who does those things shall live by them. 6But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7or, Who will descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (NKJV)
Once we have given our hearts to the Lord and we belong to Him because of what He did for us at Calvary, therefore we have been justified by faith, just as it was with Abraham. Because we have been justified by faith, we will find peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This peace the world cannot give to us. We cannot find this peace in our jobs or our income or from the money in our bank accounts. The only way we can have this peace is through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus came that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly. This quality of life comes to us as we surrender the lust of the eyes and the desires of our heart to Him through faith in Him that begins in salvation and continues in our every day lives as we walk with Him and live for Him in obedience one decision at a time. As we surrender our hearts to Him, He is able to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves and that my friend is the reason that God created you and me in the first place. He created you and me to be an outlet for His remarkable love and that is the source of this peace that we so desperately seek to have today!
><> Bob
Comment (1)
|
Back to Blog Main Page
|
|
| About Me |
|
|
Archives
|
| |
Name: Bob Hadley of Saved By Grace Ministries
