Jude 24 "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his
glorious presence without fault and with great joy-- " NIV
:Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring
you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault." NLT
Oh, Lord! These words are such a delight and encouragement!
You are ABLE to keep me from falling away. Not only do You warn me of the consequences of falling spiritually, You promise (if I am totally yielded to You) You have the power to keep me from falling. You never give me a command and then say, "Well here is a command, kid, now let's see if you can keep it on your own. I'm sorry, but I just don't have the power to help you on this one, so if you fall, you fall." THANK YOU, JESUS!
Just for You to WANT to present me anywhere boggles my mind. Lord, I am SO unworthy! You will present me before Your glorious presence; not before the US president or the queen of England or any other world power who pale in comparison in power and holiness compared to You.
Not only do You present me before Your glorious presence, but also without fault! That is ONLY because of YOUR SACRIFICE on my behalf on the cross. You paid my ransom and redemption price so that even though I still have the sin nature of all humans, I might live a sinless life and be forgiven and restored to service if I fail. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
You also do all this with great joy! Lord, I must confess I am still trying to wrap my brain around all of this...it is too wonderful for me! However; all I can do is to thank You for Your grace and mercy and praise You every day for Your undeserved unconditional love for me that does not depend on my performance, but on who You are.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Love One Another Challenge
“LOVE ONE
ANOTHER”
“Love is patient,
love is kind. It does not envy, it does
not boast,
it is not
proud. It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not
easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does
not
delight in evil,
but rejoices with the truth. It always
protects,
always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres. Love
never fails.”
I Corinthians 13: 4-8
So here is my challenge to you, and I will be doing it too:
Each month for the next year, study your attitudes of your heart and
ask God to reveal the truth to you about your actions because of them. Each month hone in on the part of the verses
below and ask God to convict you of sin, change and refine that action of love in your life for His
glory and the furtherance of His Kingdom.
May: Love is patient, love is kind.
June: It does not envy, it does not boast.
July: It is not proud.
August: It is not rude.
September: It is not self-seeking.
October: It is not easily angered.
November: It
keeps no record of wrongs.
December: Love
does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.
January: It always protects.
February: It always trusts.
March: It always hopes.
April: It always perseveres.
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to
love one another.”
I
John 4:11
Love As GOD Sees It
This Post is a little parenthesis in the study, but fits right into what Jude is saying too:
Our lives
can truly be so much more than we ever hoped or dreamed when we make God the
central part of our life, and focus on Him, at all times.
I also
studied love. Now the first thing most
people, including myself, think of when we hear the word love, is the love
between a husband and wife, or parent and child. But, when we look at how the Bible portrays
love, we see it is much more than that.
John 15:12 My
command is this: Love each other as I
have loved you.
John 15:17 This
is my command: Love each other.
Matt 5:44 But I
tell you: Love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you.
Romans 13:9-10 The commandments, “Do not commit adultery, do
not murder, do not steal, do not covet, and whatever other commandment there
may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to his neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the
law.”
I Cor 16:14 Do everything in love.
Gal 5: 13-14 You my brothers, were called to be
free. But do not use your freedom to
indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single
command: “Love your neighbor as
yourself.”
Eph 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be
patient, bearing with one another in love.
James 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found
in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
I Peter 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by
obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers; love one
another deeply, from the heart.
I Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply,
because love covers over a multitude of sins.
I John 3:11 This is the message you heard from the
beginning: We should love one another.
I John 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we
also ought to love one another.
2 John 1:5-6 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a
new command, but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love; that we walk in obedience
to his commands. As you have heard from
the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
It is so amazing
how many verses in the Bible command us to love one another. I
never knew it was
mentioned so many times until I actually started going through it and writing
them all down. I could’ve filled pages
and pages with verses that command us to love one another! And it’s a command! He didn’t say “Oh, if you feel like it today,
it would be nice if you could love one another” or “If you have time, could you
also love one another?” No, he commands
us to “love one another.” If we know
Christ as our Savior and have made Him Lord of our life, the most important
goal in our life must be to obey and honor the Lord. We do this by keeping his commands.
So, we know
that God has commanded us to love one another, but what does “love” look
like? How do we love each other in the
Biblical sense of the word?
When most of us hear I Cor 13: 4-8, the “Love is patient,
love is kind” verses, the picture that comes to mind is how love should be
between a husband and wife. We hear it
read at most weddings…it was read at my wedding! But, when you read those verses,
instead of thinking of your spouse, or your future, unknown spouse, I want you
to think of your neighbor down the street, the stranger you meet in the grocery
store, the cashier waiting on a long line of customers, the person who sits at
the desk next to you, the parent or student who you talk to on the phone, or
meet in person. Think about how God is
telling us that we are to love that person, and what that love looks like.
“Love is
patient, love is kind. It does not envy,
it does not boast, it is not proud. It
is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
record of wrongs. Love does not delight
in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
God is
saying that is how we are to treat every single person that we come into
contact with. Not just our spouses, or
our children, or our best friends, but every person. And there are no exceptions! God does not say that this doesn’t apply if
the other person is not being kind or patient or humble. No, God says we are to do this regardless of
how we are being treated. It is so contrary
to what our society teaches, but that is what makes it so beautiful! God has called us to be different than the
world, to be a shining light in the darkness that others might come to know Him
by what they see in us. What an awesome
privilege – to be able to bring others to Christ simply by loving them as God
has commanded us to. It is not easy, it
does not come naturally to us as imperfect humans, but with God, we can do all
things. I would like to challenge you,
as a way of honoring God and showing Him that he has 1st place in
your life, that you would join me in striving to live out I Cor. 13 in our
everyday, daily lives. Not only will we
be sharing the love of Christ in a tangible, real way, but God will give us
more than we could ever hope or imagine as we surrender our lives to His will
and ways.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Rescue and Show Mercy
Jude 23 "snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with
fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh." NIV
"Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives." NLT
Lord, You love the sinner, but hate the sins they commit. You showed me that by willingly sacrificing Your life for mine to pay the sin debt of death and judgment I owed for my actions. You snatched me from the fire to save me! Now, You are asking me to do the same for others by sharing the gospel with them. You have not asked me to become like them in their sin to try to win them, but to see the separation between the person, and the sins they commit. You showed me incredible mercy when You saved me because I absolutely did not deserve it. I deserved punishment and eternal damnation for the arrogance, rebellion, fornication, and double murder I had committed in aborting two babies. How can ever withhold mercy from others?
There is an falsehood circulating in Christianity today that is a grave misunderstanding of Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 9: 19-22 "Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some." NLT (Here I use the New Living Translation because it makes this passage easier to understand) The issue is that they do not heed this part in verse 21: " But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ." They do not lead holy lives, but live like the devil to try to win the fallen.
Lord, as always, You are to be our example. You led a totally holy and sinless life, but reached out to the sinners, unlike the religious elite of Your day who would not even think of eating with them and chided You for doing so. You did not commit fornication to win the prostitute or become drunken to win the drunken. We are IN the world, but are no longer OF the world as You have called us to come out from among them and be separate.
As our example, You require us to be compassionate and merciful and willing to even suffer rejection and hatred from the world in an effort to bring some to salvation. Lord, I don't want to hoard my salvation, but want to share it with those in need. Help me to become more compassionate and merciful.
"Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives." NLT
Lord, You love the sinner, but hate the sins they commit. You showed me that by willingly sacrificing Your life for mine to pay the sin debt of death and judgment I owed for my actions. You snatched me from the fire to save me! Now, You are asking me to do the same for others by sharing the gospel with them. You have not asked me to become like them in their sin to try to win them, but to see the separation between the person, and the sins they commit. You showed me incredible mercy when You saved me because I absolutely did not deserve it. I deserved punishment and eternal damnation for the arrogance, rebellion, fornication, and double murder I had committed in aborting two babies. How can ever withhold mercy from others?
There is an falsehood circulating in Christianity today that is a grave misunderstanding of Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 9: 19-22 "Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some." NLT (Here I use the New Living Translation because it makes this passage easier to understand) The issue is that they do not heed this part in verse 21: " But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ." They do not lead holy lives, but live like the devil to try to win the fallen.
Lord, as always, You are to be our example. You led a totally holy and sinless life, but reached out to the sinners, unlike the religious elite of Your day who would not even think of eating with them and chided You for doing so. You did not commit fornication to win the prostitute or become drunken to win the drunken. We are IN the world, but are no longer OF the world as You have called us to come out from among them and be separate.
As our example, You require us to be compassionate and merciful and willing to even suffer rejection and hatred from the world in an effort to bring some to salvation. Lord, I don't want to hoard my salvation, but want to share it with those in need. Help me to become more compassionate and merciful.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Be Merciful to Those Who Doubt
Jude 22 "Be merciful to those who doubt; " NIV "And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering." NLT
Lord,Your unconditional love for people is unlike what we humans are usually willing to give. Here you give me, as a Christ Follower, a direct command, not a suggestion. In my unguarded moments, Lord, I must confess that I can become impatient with those who just don't seem to have solid faith. I am of the personality that things are black or white....no gray areas. You have taught me over time through the Holy Spirit to be more like you in mercy and grace toward others and have definitely knocked off a lot of rough edges! Thank You.
I can see why, especially in this context, You would have had Jude write this, but it is so needed that I comply today. If those with solid faith do not have mercy on those whose faith is wavering, they may fall into the hands of the enemy. We MUST love them, teach them, encourage them in the truth, pray for them, and have mercy- not show them impatience and condemnation.
Lord, Sweet Lord, please help me/ us to obey this command!
Lord,Your unconditional love for people is unlike what we humans are usually willing to give. Here you give me, as a Christ Follower, a direct command, not a suggestion. In my unguarded moments, Lord, I must confess that I can become impatient with those who just don't seem to have solid faith. I am of the personality that things are black or white....no gray areas. You have taught me over time through the Holy Spirit to be more like you in mercy and grace toward others and have definitely knocked off a lot of rough edges! Thank You.
I can see why, especially in this context, You would have had Jude write this, but it is so needed that I comply today. If those with solid faith do not have mercy on those whose faith is wavering, they may fall into the hands of the enemy. We MUST love them, teach them, encourage them in the truth, pray for them, and have mercy- not show them impatience and condemnation.
Lord, Sweet Lord, please help me/ us to obey this command!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
His Mercy Brings Me to Eternal Life!
Jude 21 "Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."
Lord, This verse really spoke to me today.
First of all " Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait", tells me that it is up to me, but it is not optional. Now obviously, in other passages of scripture You tell me that the Father and You "Keep" me. I believe here Jude, because of the context, is warning me no to be drawn away from Your love by false teachers.
Secondly, and especially, the phrase: "as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." came to life for me this morning. We normally do not look at the death of a loved one as Your mercy unless they have been fighting Cancer or some other horrible disease or old age and then You take them home and heal them perfectly. But we rarely see it as Your mercy when saved folks are taken from the earth in their youth or as babies. What about the young teens that are killed by a drunk driver, or the young dad that dies of an unexplained heart attack, or the relatively newly married husband that is killed in a military training exercise, or the baby that dies in the womb or shortly after, or the child who is killed in their own driveway by a run away car, or a baby or families attending a church service that are swept away and killed by a killer tornado?
We tend to think about all of the things they would not get to do...like graduate from High School or College, have a fulfilling job, get married, have children and grandchildren.
What we fail to see, Lord, is what their future might have been like. We have no clue how much grief, rejection, illness, financial woes, war, anxiety, and worry they would have had to suffer if you had not IN YOUR MERCY brought them to eternal life.
I will never forget the true story I read about a mom whose three year old little girl was deathly sick. She prayed and prayed begging God to heal her little girl. He did heal her and mom was so very thankful. Unfortunately, as she grew, she was very rebellious and rejected her mom's faith. At are 13, she ran away from home, got involved in drugs and prostitution, and died a horrible death without You at age 17.
Lord, when I try to tell you what to do, I am always going to suffer for it. Do You tell me to bring my requests to You? Absolutely! It is HOW I ask and what I ask for that is the issue. Do I ask for Your best for the ones I love and for Your perfect will to be done in their lives and leave the details to YOU, or do I tell You what I expect You to do for me/them?
Dearest Lord, If even YOU prayed "Not my will but yours be done", how much more should this imperfect sinner simply saved by grace?
Lord, This verse really spoke to me today.
First of all " Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait", tells me that it is up to me, but it is not optional. Now obviously, in other passages of scripture You tell me that the Father and You "Keep" me. I believe here Jude, because of the context, is warning me no to be drawn away from Your love by false teachers.
Secondly, and especially, the phrase: "as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." came to life for me this morning. We normally do not look at the death of a loved one as Your mercy unless they have been fighting Cancer or some other horrible disease or old age and then You take them home and heal them perfectly. But we rarely see it as Your mercy when saved folks are taken from the earth in their youth or as babies. What about the young teens that are killed by a drunk driver, or the young dad that dies of an unexplained heart attack, or the relatively newly married husband that is killed in a military training exercise, or the baby that dies in the womb or shortly after, or the child who is killed in their own driveway by a run away car, or a baby or families attending a church service that are swept away and killed by a killer tornado?
We tend to think about all of the things they would not get to do...like graduate from High School or College, have a fulfilling job, get married, have children and grandchildren.
What we fail to see, Lord, is what their future might have been like. We have no clue how much grief, rejection, illness, financial woes, war, anxiety, and worry they would have had to suffer if you had not IN YOUR MERCY brought them to eternal life.
I will never forget the true story I read about a mom whose three year old little girl was deathly sick. She prayed and prayed begging God to heal her little girl. He did heal her and mom was so very thankful. Unfortunately, as she grew, she was very rebellious and rejected her mom's faith. At are 13, she ran away from home, got involved in drugs and prostitution, and died a horrible death without You at age 17.
Lord, when I try to tell you what to do, I am always going to suffer for it. Do You tell me to bring my requests to You? Absolutely! It is HOW I ask and what I ask for that is the issue. Do I ask for Your best for the ones I love and for Your perfect will to be done in their lives and leave the details to YOU, or do I tell You what I expect You to do for me/them?
Dearest Lord, If even YOU prayed "Not my will but yours be done", how much more should this imperfect sinner simply saved by grace?
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Soldiers in Training
Jude 20 "But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in
the Holy Spirit."
Lord, thank You for Your Word! When we want to build up our bodies with exercise, most folks now days join a gym. The trainer will prescribe different exercises, some with weights, to tone and build up all of the muscle groups in a series of repetitions (Reps):
sit ups- 25 reps
curls- 25 reps
squats- 10 reps
treadmill or step machine- 30 min.
leg lifts-25 reps
etc.
Here, You tell me to "build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit." You, as my "trainer", give me what exercises I need to do all day everyday to build myself up to be a good "Soldier of the Cross":
Read Your Word
Study Your Word
Meditate on Your Word
Confess sins
Repent of sins
Pray in the Holy Spirit
Serve others
Encourage fellow soldiers
Be a generous giver
Share the Gospel
Disciple believers
Thank You, Lord for Your coaching and encouragement. I need to be fit as a "Soldier of the Cross". Weak soldiers are easy targets for the enemy. I never want to by one! Help me, Lord trainer, to become all that You need me to be!
Lord, thank You for Your Word! When we want to build up our bodies with exercise, most folks now days join a gym. The trainer will prescribe different exercises, some with weights, to tone and build up all of the muscle groups in a series of repetitions (Reps):
sit ups- 25 reps
curls- 25 reps
squats- 10 reps
treadmill or step machine- 30 min.
leg lifts-25 reps
etc.
Here, You tell me to "build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit." You, as my "trainer", give me what exercises I need to do all day everyday to build myself up to be a good "Soldier of the Cross":
Read Your Word
Study Your Word
Meditate on Your Word
Confess sins
Repent of sins
Pray in the Holy Spirit
Serve others
Encourage fellow soldiers
Be a generous giver
Share the Gospel
Disciple believers
Thank You, Lord for Your coaching and encouragement. I need to be fit as a "Soldier of the Cross". Weak soldiers are easy targets for the enemy. I never want to by one! Help me, Lord trainer, to become all that You need me to be!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
These Are the Men Who Divide You
Jude 17-19 "But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.
They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow
their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not
have the Spirit."
Lord, thank You for Your warnings: first from Your prophets, then from Your mouth while You were here, then through Your apostles, and now in print for me to read in this age. You started with Enoch (7th from Adam) and then went all the way to the New Testament apostles and others. Now over 2000 years since You were here on earth, I am reading these same warnings and the sickness in the church is still alive today.
Simply by the passage of time, we are more in the "last days" than Jude was at in the end of the first century or beginning of the second century AD, but when the exact time of these "last days" is known only to the Father.
Lord, You have told me that Satan's plan has always been to divide and destroy. He divided the angels in heaven trying to destroy You and Your authority, he did not come to both Adam and Eve, but just to Eve, hoping to divide the first marriage, divided the first 2 brothers (Cain and Abel), divided Noah's family after the flood, divided Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers...and the list goes on and on all throughout our history! 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Lions do not try to prey on large herds. They charge the group to divide out the very young, sick, or injured ones and prey on them because they are easy. He is the master deceiver, the Father of lies, and will use those lies to deceive the very young, spiritually sick, or emotionally injured in the church.
Lord, if I do not gauge all that I hear, even from our dear devoted pastor, by the truth of Your word, I too might be deceived. I know that is why I must be in Your word daily, studying and praying through these passages, for my own spiritual safety! I cannot praise You enough for leaving it with me as a guide. Then You give me the wisdom and discernment by Your Spirit to understand it and apply it in my life. I am so undeserving, Lord, and wholly unworthy. THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING GRACE!
Lord, thank You for Your warnings: first from Your prophets, then from Your mouth while You were here, then through Your apostles, and now in print for me to read in this age. You started with Enoch (7th from Adam) and then went all the way to the New Testament apostles and others. Now over 2000 years since You were here on earth, I am reading these same warnings and the sickness in the church is still alive today.
Simply by the passage of time, we are more in the "last days" than Jude was at in the end of the first century or beginning of the second century AD, but when the exact time of these "last days" is known only to the Father.
Lord, You have told me that Satan's plan has always been to divide and destroy. He divided the angels in heaven trying to destroy You and Your authority, he did not come to both Adam and Eve, but just to Eve, hoping to divide the first marriage, divided the first 2 brothers (Cain and Abel), divided Noah's family after the flood, divided Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers...and the list goes on and on all throughout our history! 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Lions do not try to prey on large herds. They charge the group to divide out the very young, sick, or injured ones and prey on them because they are easy. He is the master deceiver, the Father of lies, and will use those lies to deceive the very young, spiritually sick, or emotionally injured in the church.
Lord, if I do not gauge all that I hear, even from our dear devoted pastor, by the truth of Your word, I too might be deceived. I know that is why I must be in Your word daily, studying and praying through these passages, for my own spiritual safety! I cannot praise You enough for leaving it with me as a guide. Then You give me the wisdom and discernment by Your Spirit to understand it and apply it in my life. I am so undeserving, Lord, and wholly unworthy. THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING GRACE!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Is This Me, Lord? Yikes!
Jude 16 "These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own
evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own
advantage."
Oh, Lord! I have been one of these grumblers and faultfinders. PLEASE forgive me.. In unguarded moments, usually in my thoughts but sometimes verbally with someone with whom I can grumble and they won't chastise me for doing so, I complain and may find fault with others.
I know You tell me: "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing." Philippians 2:14-16
If I was truly content and THANKFUL FOR with every person or situation You allowed in my life, was completely yielded to all of the authority You have placed over me, if I had completely died to self, and if I fully believed that NOTHING comes into my life without Your approval to make me into the image of Your blessed Son...there would never be a grumble or complaint either in my thoughts or on my tongue.
Lord, I can find no excuse and no loophole for this type of behavior in a true Christian. You have made it very plain that if I have a attitude of gratitude instead of discontent, my life will be much happier and those around me will be blessed instead of burdened at best and drawn into my sin at the worst. Pastor's sermon yesterday was about how unbelievers will not be willing to listen to me when I try to tell them about the gospel, if they do not see that it is true and it works in my own life.
Lord, I do want to be salt and light! Guard my heart and tongue in those moments when I am tempted. Put Your arm around my shoulder and Your hand over my mouth! Most of all...change my HEART, Lord, into the image of You: obedient, compliant, selfless, loving, tenderhearted, thankful, encouraging, compassionate, patient, and holy.
Oh, Lord! I have been one of these grumblers and faultfinders. PLEASE forgive me.. In unguarded moments, usually in my thoughts but sometimes verbally with someone with whom I can grumble and they won't chastise me for doing so, I complain and may find fault with others.
I know You tell me: "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing." Philippians 2:14-16
If I was truly content and THANKFUL FOR with every person or situation You allowed in my life, was completely yielded to all of the authority You have placed over me, if I had completely died to self, and if I fully believed that NOTHING comes into my life without Your approval to make me into the image of Your blessed Son...there would never be a grumble or complaint either in my thoughts or on my tongue.
Lord, I can find no excuse and no loophole for this type of behavior in a true Christian. You have made it very plain that if I have a attitude of gratitude instead of discontent, my life will be much happier and those around me will be blessed instead of burdened at best and drawn into my sin at the worst. Pastor's sermon yesterday was about how unbelievers will not be willing to listen to me when I try to tell them about the gospel, if they do not see that it is true and it works in my own life.
Lord, I do want to be salt and light! Guard my heart and tongue in those moments when I am tempted. Put Your arm around my shoulder and Your hand over my mouth! Most of all...change my HEART, Lord, into the image of You: obedient, compliant, selfless, loving, tenderhearted, thankful, encouraging, compassionate, patient, and holy.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Ungodliness Will Not Go Unpunished
Jude 14-15 "Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is
coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they
have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have
spoken against him." NIV
Revelation 19:11-14 " I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." NIV
Oh, Lord! Some say that salvation in You and You alone really does not matter because all roads lead to heaven and we will all end up there someday. Some say that Your truth is simply fabricated tales to make men more civilized. They blaspheme Your name in curses as well as call down damnation from the Father in everyday speech. They see You as a timid wimp who would not dare to pronounce judgement on anyone.
Last night we watched "The Nostradamus Effect:The Seven Seals of Revelation" on the History channel. At one point they were dealing with these verses. One man said that the one on this white horse had to be the 3rd Anti-Christ Nostradamus writes about and not the gentle Jesus of the Sermon on the Mount. They showed parts of these verses, but of course they left out the phrases: "whose rider is called Faithful and True", and "On his robe and on his thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." NIV
The truth is that You are Holy God and cannot tolerate sin! It is ONLY by Your grace and mercy and incredible patience and love for us that You do not strike us down and send us to hell the moment we are born; because we are born in sin with a sinful nature, rebellious and unbelieving from birth because of Adam. You owe us nothing but judgement and eternal fire!
You are loving, gentle, kind, gracious,and merciful to those who have trusted You for their salvation and are true Christ Followers (Not Christian in name only), and I praise You and thank You most humbly for this unspeakable and unfathomable priceless gift! But You are also the Righteous Judge who will give to the ungodly exactly what they have asked for and deserve. When You come, You will have given all of mankind more than enough time to repent.
Satan will lie to, and mislead, those who have rejected the truth to believe what they will. Their doom is sure and horrible. And yes, the same Lord who gave His life as a ransom for all will come again as righteous judge against the ungodly. Woe to them. Lord, lift the veil of blindness from their eyes so they might see the truth and believe.
2 Peter 3:9-10 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." NIV
I believe it was Jonathan Edwards who preached the sermon "It is a Fearful Thing to Fall Into the Hands of an Angry God". We deserve eternal damnation, BUT YOU give forgiveness and eternal LIFE with YOU both here and in Heaven! Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Revelation 19:11-14 " I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." NIV
Oh, Lord! Some say that salvation in You and You alone really does not matter because all roads lead to heaven and we will all end up there someday. Some say that Your truth is simply fabricated tales to make men more civilized. They blaspheme Your name in curses as well as call down damnation from the Father in everyday speech. They see You as a timid wimp who would not dare to pronounce judgement on anyone.
Last night we watched "The Nostradamus Effect:The Seven Seals of Revelation" on the History channel. At one point they were dealing with these verses. One man said that the one on this white horse had to be the 3rd Anti-Christ Nostradamus writes about and not the gentle Jesus of the Sermon on the Mount. They showed parts of these verses, but of course they left out the phrases: "whose rider is called Faithful and True", and "On his robe and on his thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." NIV
The truth is that You are Holy God and cannot tolerate sin! It is ONLY by Your grace and mercy and incredible patience and love for us that You do not strike us down and send us to hell the moment we are born; because we are born in sin with a sinful nature, rebellious and unbelieving from birth because of Adam. You owe us nothing but judgement and eternal fire!
You are loving, gentle, kind, gracious,and merciful to those who have trusted You for their salvation and are true Christ Followers (Not Christian in name only), and I praise You and thank You most humbly for this unspeakable and unfathomable priceless gift! But You are also the Righteous Judge who will give to the ungodly exactly what they have asked for and deserve. When You come, You will have given all of mankind more than enough time to repent.
Satan will lie to, and mislead, those who have rejected the truth to believe what they will. Their doom is sure and horrible. And yes, the same Lord who gave His life as a ransom for all will come again as righteous judge against the ungodly. Woe to them. Lord, lift the veil of blindness from their eyes so they might see the truth and believe.
2 Peter 3:9-10 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." NIV
I believe it was Jonathan Edwards who preached the sermon "It is a Fearful Thing to Fall Into the Hands of an Angry God". We deserve eternal damnation, BUT YOU give forgiveness and eternal LIFE with YOU both here and in Heaven! Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Worthless and Dangerous Men
Jude 12b-13 "They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted--twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever."
Lord, Jude paints such a vivid word picture here. We could ask the citizens of Texas who are in a horrible drought that has lasted for a year, or the folks who lived through the "Dust Bowl" years ago on our prairie what clouds without rain are like. They see a cloud, hope it turns into a thunderhead, and then it just blows away in the wind yielding nothing. I saw a documentary once about the Dust Bowl, and drought actually creates its own weather pattern that prohibits rain from forming. So these men are. They bluster and boast, but have nothing of worth to share with others. They are on their own path of destruction.
In most places in the USA, there are deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the Fall. In Wayne County NY, there are LOTS of orchards for peaches, cherries, pears, plumbs, prunes, and apples of multiple varieties. In the spring, it is an absolutely stunning landscape when everything is in bloom! In the summer and fall there is an abundance of these fruits for all to enjoy and that serve as great nutrition not only for the humans, but the fruit eating animals and birds.
Behind our home there was a neglected orchard that had become overgrown with wild grape and wild cucumber vines. Even with that hindrance, there were some apples that grew. They were not fit for humans, but the animals enjoyed them. One day there was a tornado (very rare in NY) that passed through our neighborhood and actually bounced over our home, but touched down just behind it uprooting two huge old apple trees. What a picture of what You are conveying to me today, Lord.
We also lived by Lake Ontario and saw, and were caught in, some serious storms when the lake whipped up into a frenzy of large waves called whitecaps. They can capsize little boats, and even sink big ones if they get strong enough. This is a good description of what these men can do in a church that allows them to stay. They can "capsize" the faith of baby and very young believers and sink older saints if the are not "sea worthy" in their faith by keeping their ship in top shape.
We have all seen comets or "Wandering Stars" streak across the sky. They have no permanent spot in space, they can be very destructive to anything in their path, and can burn out very quickly.
Jude says that the darkest part of Hell is reserved for these men.
Lord, I VERY humbly thank You and praise You for the truth You have shown and taught me over these years in our journey together. Thank You for rescuing me from my destructive path!
Lord, Jude paints such a vivid word picture here. We could ask the citizens of Texas who are in a horrible drought that has lasted for a year, or the folks who lived through the "Dust Bowl" years ago on our prairie what clouds without rain are like. They see a cloud, hope it turns into a thunderhead, and then it just blows away in the wind yielding nothing. I saw a documentary once about the Dust Bowl, and drought actually creates its own weather pattern that prohibits rain from forming. So these men are. They bluster and boast, but have nothing of worth to share with others. They are on their own path of destruction.
In most places in the USA, there are deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the Fall. In Wayne County NY, there are LOTS of orchards for peaches, cherries, pears, plumbs, prunes, and apples of multiple varieties. In the spring, it is an absolutely stunning landscape when everything is in bloom! In the summer and fall there is an abundance of these fruits for all to enjoy and that serve as great nutrition not only for the humans, but the fruit eating animals and birds.
Behind our home there was a neglected orchard that had become overgrown with wild grape and wild cucumber vines. Even with that hindrance, there were some apples that grew. They were not fit for humans, but the animals enjoyed them. One day there was a tornado (very rare in NY) that passed through our neighborhood and actually bounced over our home, but touched down just behind it uprooting two huge old apple trees. What a picture of what You are conveying to me today, Lord.
We also lived by Lake Ontario and saw, and were caught in, some serious storms when the lake whipped up into a frenzy of large waves called whitecaps. They can capsize little boats, and even sink big ones if they get strong enough. This is a good description of what these men can do in a church that allows them to stay. They can "capsize" the faith of baby and very young believers and sink older saints if the are not "sea worthy" in their faith by keeping their ship in top shape.
We have all seen comets or "Wandering Stars" streak across the sky. They have no permanent spot in space, they can be very destructive to anything in their path, and can burn out very quickly.
Jude says that the darkest part of Hell is reserved for these men.
Lord, I VERY humbly thank You and praise You for the truth You have shown and taught me over these years in our journey together. Thank You for rescuing me from my destructive path!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Love Feasts, Blemishes, Reefs, and Selfish Shameless Shepherds
Jude 12a "These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm--shepherds who feed only themselves." NIV
"When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord's love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you (or contaminants or stains).They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. " NLT
Lord, Precious Savior, this could have been said of me before I trusted You for salvation! Thank You for Your sweet forgiveness!
When I was a child, and even in my teen years, when we had Communion at church, I would partake because that's what you did. I knew in my head that the bread was supposed to represent Your body, and the grape juice, Your blood; but the full meaning of that was lost on me because I was not yet saved. I looked forward to it because we got to eat in the church service. I am ashamed to even tell this, but You already know...once, when I was in high school, I went to church with one of my friends from another denomination. They were having "Communion" so I went to the altar with my friend. I never remember any minister telling us about the verses in Corinthians 11: 24-34a:
"Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment." Maybe if they had it would have made a difference to me, and maybe they did and I was too ignorant to hear and understand it correctly. Spiritual things are foolishness to those who do not believe because they are spiritually discerned. That was certainly true of me!
Instead of the little tiny cups we used at our church for the juice, they actually had a common large chalice. I remember thinking, because we very rarely could afford grape juice at home, that I would get a good drink of it. So when it was passed to me, I drank two great swallows. Lord, You taught me even then that I was a selfish sinner who was ignorant. The liquid in the cup was not grape juice, but wine! I almost choked there at the altar in front of You and everyone in the church! I had never tasted alcohol, and to this day can't stand the taste of wine...maybe this is why.
Lord, I know You have forgiven me for this sin, and I am forever grateful; but now, knowing what You suffered to pay my debt for that sin, the magnitude of it saddens me. I know I am no longer guilty, but since I trusted You and fully understand, celebrating the Lord's Supper is a very emotional time for me. I am overwhelmed with Your grace and mercy in my life.
Lord, I pray I was not a reef to shipwreck a believer in those churches. I know I was a blemish and a contaminate. I had not "known" You and then turned away, I knew OF You, but that still does not excuse that behavior or the sin of those Jude was writing about.
"When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord's love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you (or contaminants or stains).They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. " NLT
Lord, Precious Savior, this could have been said of me before I trusted You for salvation! Thank You for Your sweet forgiveness!
When I was a child, and even in my teen years, when we had Communion at church, I would partake because that's what you did. I knew in my head that the bread was supposed to represent Your body, and the grape juice, Your blood; but the full meaning of that was lost on me because I was not yet saved. I looked forward to it because we got to eat in the church service. I am ashamed to even tell this, but You already know...once, when I was in high school, I went to church with one of my friends from another denomination. They were having "Communion" so I went to the altar with my friend. I never remember any minister telling us about the verses in Corinthians 11: 24-34a:
"Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment." Maybe if they had it would have made a difference to me, and maybe they did and I was too ignorant to hear and understand it correctly. Spiritual things are foolishness to those who do not believe because they are spiritually discerned. That was certainly true of me!
Instead of the little tiny cups we used at our church for the juice, they actually had a common large chalice. I remember thinking, because we very rarely could afford grape juice at home, that I would get a good drink of it. So when it was passed to me, I drank two great swallows. Lord, You taught me even then that I was a selfish sinner who was ignorant. The liquid in the cup was not grape juice, but wine! I almost choked there at the altar in front of You and everyone in the church! I had never tasted alcohol, and to this day can't stand the taste of wine...maybe this is why.
Lord, I know You have forgiven me for this sin, and I am forever grateful; but now, knowing what You suffered to pay my debt for that sin, the magnitude of it saddens me. I know I am no longer guilty, but since I trusted You and fully understand, celebrating the Lord's Supper is a very emotional time for me. I am overwhelmed with Your grace and mercy in my life.
Lord, I pray I was not a reef to shipwreck a believer in those churches. I know I was a blemish and a contaminate. I had not "known" You and then turned away, I knew OF You, but that still does not excuse that behavior or the sin of those Jude was writing about.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Fearful Descriptions of Godless Men
Jude 11 "Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion."
O Lord, there are frightful words! These men have been so deceived and blinded by the enemy and their our sinful natures. But they were exposed to the truth in the churches they attended, from what I read here, and in their arrogant rebellion rejected it to follow their own lusts. They have taken on the world's cry , "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die." They have no real belief that there is a real Hell and what happens there. They may have a distorted view if they believe at all, much like those today who think it is going to be an eternity long debauched party with their friends.
Lord, I believe what You have revealed to me in Your Word about Heaven and Hell. and what happens in both places:
Hell: everlasting unquenchable fire, burning but never being consumed, total separation form You and everyone else there, everlasting torment, weeping and gnashing of teeth where the worm dieth not!
Heaven: everlasting live worshiping You, no more sin nature, sorrow or pain, reunited with all the saints that have gone before, in constant unbroken communion with the Trinity, knowing You as You know me, in a "mansion", built for me!
For me, it's a no-brainer. Those who would choose hell over heaven are the most foolish. Lord, please bring some to me so You might win some. Open their eyes and minds to the truth, I beg of You, Lord!
O Lord, there are frightful words! These men have been so deceived and blinded by the enemy and their our sinful natures. But they were exposed to the truth in the churches they attended, from what I read here, and in their arrogant rebellion rejected it to follow their own lusts. They have taken on the world's cry , "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die." They have no real belief that there is a real Hell and what happens there. They may have a distorted view if they believe at all, much like those today who think it is going to be an eternity long debauched party with their friends.
Lord, I believe what You have revealed to me in Your Word about Heaven and Hell. and what happens in both places:
Hell: everlasting unquenchable fire, burning but never being consumed, total separation form You and everyone else there, everlasting torment, weeping and gnashing of teeth where the worm dieth not!
Heaven: everlasting live worshiping You, no more sin nature, sorrow or pain, reunited with all the saints that have gone before, in constant unbroken communion with the Trinity, knowing You as You know me, in a "mansion", built for me!
For me, it's a no-brainer. Those who would choose hell over heaven are the most foolish. Lord, please bring some to me so You might win some. Open their eyes and minds to the truth, I beg of You, Lord!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Follow Christ, Not Our Base Instincts
Jude 10 "Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals--these are the very things that destroy them."
O Lord, the fall and sin of man have given us a heart of wickedness and has made us totally depraved. I see it in myself in unguarded moments, and see it in others as well. It is no secret that man, left to his own devices, will be like an animal following his base instincts.
Last night as Dick and I were reading Gracia Burnham's book about their year of captivity held by Muslim terrorists in the Philippines "In the Presence of My Enemies", she tells of a conversation her husband Martin had with the terrorist leader.
He was telling the leader how he longed to be home to be teaching his teenage son about moral purity. He said, "In Christianity we try to teach our sons the biblical standard of staying pure until marriage." His Muslim captor countered, "Men think about women all the time and it is ridiculous to think that a man would restrain himself. But if a girl sleeps with someone before marriage, she is put to death. Or at best, she is only good enough to be a slave the rest of her life. That's just the rules."
Lord, I am SO glad that those are not Your rules! You and You alone give worth to human lives, and especially women. I humbly thank You that I was born in America, founded on Christian principles. I know that, as a country, we have not always followed those principles and for that I ask Your forgiveness to us as a nation. In our day, there is still human degradation that takes place against men and women, as well as our children. We have freedom, but are still held captive by our sin natures.
You give total freedom from sin to the Christian, as we are crucified with You and it is no longer I who live, but You live in me! Lord, purge Your church of the smooth talking charlatan plants of the enemy who lure Your children to follow their base instincts, so that we will indeed be a bride without spot or blemish ready and able to build Your Kingdom for Your glory! Convict us when we start to slide back into the world because of lack of spiritual discipline so that we might confess and repent.
O Lord, the fall and sin of man have given us a heart of wickedness and has made us totally depraved. I see it in myself in unguarded moments, and see it in others as well. It is no secret that man, left to his own devices, will be like an animal following his base instincts.
Last night as Dick and I were reading Gracia Burnham's book about their year of captivity held by Muslim terrorists in the Philippines "In the Presence of My Enemies", she tells of a conversation her husband Martin had with the terrorist leader.
He was telling the leader how he longed to be home to be teaching his teenage son about moral purity. He said, "In Christianity we try to teach our sons the biblical standard of staying pure until marriage." His Muslim captor countered, "Men think about women all the time and it is ridiculous to think that a man would restrain himself. But if a girl sleeps with someone before marriage, she is put to death. Or at best, she is only good enough to be a slave the rest of her life. That's just the rules."
Lord, I am SO glad that those are not Your rules! You and You alone give worth to human lives, and especially women. I humbly thank You that I was born in America, founded on Christian principles. I know that, as a country, we have not always followed those principles and for that I ask Your forgiveness to us as a nation. In our day, there is still human degradation that takes place against men and women, as well as our children. We have freedom, but are still held captive by our sin natures.
You give total freedom from sin to the Christian, as we are crucified with You and it is no longer I who live, but You live in me! Lord, purge Your church of the smooth talking charlatan plants of the enemy who lure Your children to follow their base instincts, so that we will indeed be a bride without spot or blemish ready and able to build Your Kingdom for Your glory! Convict us when we start to slide back into the world because of lack of spiritual discipline so that we might confess and repent.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Jesus Alone Has Power Over the Devil
Jude 9: "But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" "NIV
The English Standard Version and the New Living Translations both use the word blasphemous:"did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you."
Dearest Lord, I am nothing, and can do nothing, without You and Your power. If even Michael, the mightiest of angels, did not dare to rebuke Satan himself, but to invoked Your name, what would make me even dare to think I could rebuke him myself? You, and You alone, have the power over him. That's why in James 4:6-7 You told me, "But he (You) gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. "
These men that Jude is speaking of were proud and arrogant as well as ignorant of the truth. They blasphemed even the angels. If they never repented, Lord, they know the truth now, and will for all eternity, but it is too late for them. Even in their 2000 or so years since they lived, they have only begun their eternal torment, separated from You, knowing their error, and that there is nothing they can do to change things.
Oh Lord, keep me from presumptuous sin! Convict me quickly that I might confess and repent.
The English Standard Version and the New Living Translations both use the word blasphemous:"did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you."
Dearest Lord, I am nothing, and can do nothing, without You and Your power. If even Michael, the mightiest of angels, did not dare to rebuke Satan himself, but to invoked Your name, what would make me even dare to think I could rebuke him myself? You, and You alone, have the power over him. That's why in James 4:6-7 You told me, "But he (You) gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. "
These men that Jude is speaking of were proud and arrogant as well as ignorant of the truth. They blasphemed even the angels. If they never repented, Lord, they know the truth now, and will for all eternity, but it is too late for them. Even in their 2000 or so years since they lived, they have only begun their eternal torment, separated from You, knowing their error, and that there is nothing they can do to change things.
Oh Lord, keep me from presumptuous sin! Convict me quickly that I might confess and repent.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Be Diligent, My Soul Against False Ones!
Jude 8 "In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings."
Lord, we humans, in our fallen and unregenerate state, are wicked, rebellious, arrogant, prideful, and act ignorantly. You said at the beginning of this letter, there, "...are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." in our churches, and they pollute their own bodies. Immorality was seen as honorable and even a form of worship in some churches of that day, and unfortunately in our day too.
1 Thess. 4: 4 says, "each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable."
Lord, You tell us over and over again in Your word that fornication, adultery, homosexuality, and bestiality are grave sins against our own body. If the prevalence of STDs, HIV Aids, and the requirement, in some places, that female babies be inoculated against a particular STD before they leave the hospital since they feel it is a given that she will be promiscuous, does no validate this statement of truth, what will it take?
Precious Savior, Your gracious salvation does not give us the license to sin, but to serve. Paul dealt with that in Romans. Mel White, the gay "reverend" here in Lynchburg, is leaving VA because it is unfriendly to gays. In an article about him in the local newspaper, he says, "...lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender Virginians (can) live a healthy, happy, and holy life just like heterosexual Virginians." (emphasis is mine). He also said that the (worldly) research is clear; "Homosexuality is neither mental illness or moral depravity. It is simply the way a minority of our population expresses human love and sexuality. (American Psychological Association). It appears he has not read Your word with a willingness to understand the truth that is plain within the pages, especially here. How very sad that is. He is so deceived. It is very sad that in all of the years he lived so close to the truth, he never got it. Satan blinded his eyes and stopped up his ears to the truth that was all around him here.
Lord, in ignorance, we slander things we do not understand. It is obvious from this verse that these unbelievers even slandered the angels, rejected Your authority and that of Your church leaders. I know that I am not above them, Lord. If I fail to diligently seek You and Your truth every day, I can be drawn into a compromise or outright sin too. Precious Lord,, put a guard over my heart, eyes, ears, and thoughts each day. Remind me to put on the FULL armour of God each morning so I can be a truthful soldier of the cross.
Lord, we humans, in our fallen and unregenerate state, are wicked, rebellious, arrogant, prideful, and act ignorantly. You said at the beginning of this letter, there, "...are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." in our churches, and they pollute their own bodies. Immorality was seen as honorable and even a form of worship in some churches of that day, and unfortunately in our day too.
1 Thess. 4: 4 says, "each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable."
Lord, You tell us over and over again in Your word that fornication, adultery, homosexuality, and bestiality are grave sins against our own body. If the prevalence of STDs, HIV Aids, and the requirement, in some places, that female babies be inoculated against a particular STD before they leave the hospital since they feel it is a given that she will be promiscuous, does no validate this statement of truth, what will it take?
Precious Savior, Your gracious salvation does not give us the license to sin, but to serve. Paul dealt with that in Romans. Mel White, the gay "reverend" here in Lynchburg, is leaving VA because it is unfriendly to gays. In an article about him in the local newspaper, he says, "...lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender Virginians (can) live a healthy, happy, and holy life just like heterosexual Virginians." (emphasis is mine). He also said that the (worldly) research is clear; "Homosexuality is neither mental illness or moral depravity. It is simply the way a minority of our population expresses human love and sexuality. (American Psychological Association). It appears he has not read Your word with a willingness to understand the truth that is plain within the pages, especially here. How very sad that is. He is so deceived. It is very sad that in all of the years he lived so close to the truth, he never got it. Satan blinded his eyes and stopped up his ears to the truth that was all around him here.
Lord, in ignorance, we slander things we do not understand. It is obvious from this verse that these unbelievers even slandered the angels, rejected Your authority and that of Your church leaders. I know that I am not above them, Lord. If I fail to diligently seek You and Your truth every day, I can be drawn into a compromise or outright sin too. Precious Lord,, put a guard over my heart, eyes, ears, and thoughts each day. Remind me to put on the FULL armour of God each morning so I can be a truthful soldier of the cross.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sodom, Gomorrah, and the USA?
Jude 7 "In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire."
My Lord, Savior, and beloved Jesus who saved me and keeps me forever, Amen! I glorify Your holy name today. You alone are worthy of praise, honor, majesty, and glory. Have mercy on America and revive Your church.
As I read this verse today, I see a very solemn warning to Your church and to America. Lord, we have fallen so far from our Founding Father's dreams for this great nation. You blessed us then because they held You in great esteem and used Your Word as a template for our government and laws. We were the missionaries to the rest of the world because we had religious freedom to follow You.
Since then, Lord, in less than 250 years, we have come to a point in our history when all other forms of religion are smiled upon and encouraged while Christianity is looked upon with derision. This is all in the name of "tolerance"; tolerance for all kinds of sin, but no tolerance for those who call it what it is. That is now considered "hate speech". Our Constitution has been ignored, misinterpreted, and manipulated by those who do not know, or do not believe, the penalties that await them and us for these actions. In some cases, Christians have allowed "Christianity" to become so watered down, tolerant, and compromised, that people are turning to Islam because of the strict moral codes they purport. Satan is our adversary for certain. He does not care what we believe as long as we don't believe You.
Lord, we need to be a repentant nation. Like the twin cities mentioned in this verse, sexual immorality abounds in America: pedophilia, pornography, homosexuality, fornication, adultery, and co-habitation are common place and in some cases, same sex marriages are being made lawful. Your institution of the "one man-one woman for life family" is being sacrificed on the altar of selfish base desires. These should be held in derision...not You and Your Word.
Lord, You told the Israelites that if Your people who were called by Your name would humble themselves and pray, You would hear from heaven and would heal their land. Since we are Your bride, I believe this is true for Your Church as well. Lord, we need serious Christians to repent and pray for revival . Please hear us, Lord, and heal our beloved America. It is not going to come through politics, but through You and Your church!
My Lord, Savior, and beloved Jesus who saved me and keeps me forever, Amen! I glorify Your holy name today. You alone are worthy of praise, honor, majesty, and glory. Have mercy on America and revive Your church.
As I read this verse today, I see a very solemn warning to Your church and to America. Lord, we have fallen so far from our Founding Father's dreams for this great nation. You blessed us then because they held You in great esteem and used Your Word as a template for our government and laws. We were the missionaries to the rest of the world because we had religious freedom to follow You.
Since then, Lord, in less than 250 years, we have come to a point in our history when all other forms of religion are smiled upon and encouraged while Christianity is looked upon with derision. This is all in the name of "tolerance"; tolerance for all kinds of sin, but no tolerance for those who call it what it is. That is now considered "hate speech". Our Constitution has been ignored, misinterpreted, and manipulated by those who do not know, or do not believe, the penalties that await them and us for these actions. In some cases, Christians have allowed "Christianity" to become so watered down, tolerant, and compromised, that people are turning to Islam because of the strict moral codes they purport. Satan is our adversary for certain. He does not care what we believe as long as we don't believe You.
Lord, we need to be a repentant nation. Like the twin cities mentioned in this verse, sexual immorality abounds in America: pedophilia, pornography, homosexuality, fornication, adultery, and co-habitation are common place and in some cases, same sex marriages are being made lawful. Your institution of the "one man-one woman for life family" is being sacrificed on the altar of selfish base desires. These should be held in derision...not You and Your Word.
Lord, You told the Israelites that if Your people who were called by Your name would humble themselves and pray, You would hear from heaven and would heal their land. Since we are Your bride, I believe this is true for Your Church as well. Lord, we need serious Christians to repent and pray for revival . Please hear us, Lord, and heal our beloved America. It is not going to come through politics, but through You and Your church!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Rebellion and Unbelief Are Never a Good Thing!
Jude 5-6 "Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day" NIV
Lord, when I first read verse 5, I thought You were speaking of the Egyptian unbelievers. However; I now realize You were speaking of the incident with Korah and his followers in Numbers 16:1-40. These were Your chosen people who would not follow Your authority and who did not believe. You caused the earth to open and swallow them all. In verse 40 "God said to Moses, This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the LORD, or he would become like Korah and his followers."
Just like the Jews of Your day, they had seen Your miracles and yet still did not believe and they would not yield to Yours, or the Father's, authority. They did not suffer immediate judgment as Korah's followers did, but would ultimately in the future at the Last Judgment.
All of these were influenced by Your enemy, Satan, to try to thwart Your perfect plan of salvation, and they were not happy to keep their rebellion and unbelief to themselves, but spread this unbelief to those other Jews around them.
Lord, are there two sets of rebellious angels who "fell" from heaven? Your Word says that 1/3 of the angels fell with Satan in his rebellion and were cast to the earth, but they were not bound in darkness for judgment. I read in Genesis 6:1-2, "When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose." You killed all except Noah and his family in the flood. These angels willing left their home in heaven to marry the daughters of humans. Peter talks about these instances in 2 Peter 2: 4,9 as well. If I am understanding correctly, these angels are not the same ones who fell with Satan because Paul refers to that group as being very active: Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
The enemy's plan has not changed in all of these years. He can no longer thwart Your plan of redemption because You accomplished that on the cross when You, the spotless Lamb of God, willingly sacrificed Yourself as atonement for our sins, and then raised on the third day victorious over sin and death; so he has been for ages trying to pollute Your church with false teaching to make her ineffective in the work You have given her to do: spreading the Good News! The worst deception happens when Your church starts living like the world as if they had never been redeemed. False teachers invite unbelievers into the "church" just to add something else to their worldliness that promises salvation but is false. This leaves them in a worse state than they were to begin with. When they die, they will realize too late that they have been deceived. How very sad!
Rebellion against God is a very serious matter and will not go unpunished. You make that VERY clear! Those who trust in You and Your completed redemptive work on the cross to pay our ransom for our sins and then were raised on the third day and live eternally, will be spared judgment. All others will face the Father's perfect judgment and be cast into hell forevermore.
May I be willing to tell all who You bring to me the Good News, without deception!
Precious Lord, keep Your church ever vigilant and close to Your truth so she can rid herself of these wolves in sheep's clothing, so she can be presented to You a spotless bride!
Lord, when I first read verse 5, I thought You were speaking of the Egyptian unbelievers. However; I now realize You were speaking of the incident with Korah and his followers in Numbers 16:1-40. These were Your chosen people who would not follow Your authority and who did not believe. You caused the earth to open and swallow them all. In verse 40 "God said to Moses, This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the LORD, or he would become like Korah and his followers."
Just like the Jews of Your day, they had seen Your miracles and yet still did not believe and they would not yield to Yours, or the Father's, authority. They did not suffer immediate judgment as Korah's followers did, but would ultimately in the future at the Last Judgment.
All of these were influenced by Your enemy, Satan, to try to thwart Your perfect plan of salvation, and they were not happy to keep their rebellion and unbelief to themselves, but spread this unbelief to those other Jews around them.
Lord, are there two sets of rebellious angels who "fell" from heaven? Your Word says that 1/3 of the angels fell with Satan in his rebellion and were cast to the earth, but they were not bound in darkness for judgment. I read in Genesis 6:1-2, "When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose." You killed all except Noah and his family in the flood. These angels willing left their home in heaven to marry the daughters of humans. Peter talks about these instances in 2 Peter 2: 4,9 as well. If I am understanding correctly, these angels are not the same ones who fell with Satan because Paul refers to that group as being very active: Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
The enemy's plan has not changed in all of these years. He can no longer thwart Your plan of redemption because You accomplished that on the cross when You, the spotless Lamb of God, willingly sacrificed Yourself as atonement for our sins, and then raised on the third day victorious over sin and death; so he has been for ages trying to pollute Your church with false teaching to make her ineffective in the work You have given her to do: spreading the Good News! The worst deception happens when Your church starts living like the world as if they had never been redeemed. False teachers invite unbelievers into the "church" just to add something else to their worldliness that promises salvation but is false. This leaves them in a worse state than they were to begin with. When they die, they will realize too late that they have been deceived. How very sad!
Rebellion against God is a very serious matter and will not go unpunished. You make that VERY clear! Those who trust in You and Your completed redemptive work on the cross to pay our ransom for our sins and then were raised on the third day and live eternally, will be spared judgment. All others will face the Father's perfect judgment and be cast into hell forevermore.
May I be willing to tell all who You bring to me the Good News, without deception!
Precious Lord, keep Your church ever vigilant and close to Your truth so she can rid herself of these wolves in sheep's clothing, so she can be presented to You a spotless bride!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Stand for the Truth Not Compromise!
Jude 4 "For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."
My Lord and Sovereign Savior, I praise Your Holy name this morning! Thank You for giving us the gift of discernment through Your Holy Spirit. You give me/us the ability to discern truth from lies and truth from compromise. That is a very special and precious gift! You allow me to KNOW the truth and to be able to see the godless men's lies that are prompted by the enemy himself. You do this through Your Holy Word. However; if I am not in Your Word daily: studying, searching, meditating, praying through these passages, I can be deceived as well because I would not know the truth.
You did not have to leave Your Word with us...Your mind in print; but You did. You not only left it for me, You gave me the author to teach me and to guide me into ALL truth! Thank You!
There is a country song that says, "You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything." That is true. The issue is: just what am I standing for? There are lots of folks who claim the name "Christian" who have fallen for compromise and the enemy's lies; so in fact are standing for what they have fallen for. This is the saddest of all because Your Word is more accessible to folks now than ever before in history.
Someone told me a long time ago that if Satan cannot make you sin, he will make you busy. I have found over the years that this is SO true in my life. I also see in our day with all of the technology we have available to us, that if he can't make us sin, he will make us addicted to, and ultimately and idol worshipper it. Now that we have I phones and portable computers etc., good Christian folks have become addicted to texting, Facebook, email, and work related tasks all day every day and You, unfortunately take the back seat to it all. Lord, I have found myself drifting from time to time as well. These things are not necessarily immoral (depending on the content of course), just time consuming.
Please keep me ever alert to its pull and help me to never lose sight of YOU in my day. Keep me very close to You, Lord! You are my life!
My Lord and Sovereign Savior, I praise Your Holy name this morning! Thank You for giving us the gift of discernment through Your Holy Spirit. You give me/us the ability to discern truth from lies and truth from compromise. That is a very special and precious gift! You allow me to KNOW the truth and to be able to see the godless men's lies that are prompted by the enemy himself. You do this through Your Holy Word. However; if I am not in Your Word daily: studying, searching, meditating, praying through these passages, I can be deceived as well because I would not know the truth.
You did not have to leave Your Word with us...Your mind in print; but You did. You not only left it for me, You gave me the author to teach me and to guide me into ALL truth! Thank You!
There is a country song that says, "You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything." That is true. The issue is: just what am I standing for? There are lots of folks who claim the name "Christian" who have fallen for compromise and the enemy's lies; so in fact are standing for what they have fallen for. This is the saddest of all because Your Word is more accessible to folks now than ever before in history.
Someone told me a long time ago that if Satan cannot make you sin, he will make you busy. I have found over the years that this is SO true in my life. I also see in our day with all of the technology we have available to us, that if he can't make us sin, he will make us addicted to, and ultimately and idol worshipper it. Now that we have I phones and portable computers etc., good Christian folks have become addicted to texting, Facebook, email, and work related tasks all day every day and You, unfortunately take the back seat to it all. Lord, I have found myself drifting from time to time as well. These things are not necessarily immoral (depending on the content of course), just time consuming.
Please keep me ever alert to its pull and help me to never lose sight of YOU in my day. Keep me very close to You, Lord! You are my life!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed
Matthew 14-20 "At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, "Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn't heal him." Jesus said, "You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well. Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, "Why couldn't we cast out that demon?" "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." NLT
Lord, You have shown me SO much from this section of Scripture. A couple of years ago, at a Leadership Appreciation dinner, I was presented with a small vial of mustard seeds with this last part of verse 20 written on the outside. I took it to my office as a sweet reminder of that evening. As You know, You send students at Liberty University to our Student Advocate Office for assistance in many areas: relational, monetary, and academic. You prompted me to start giving a seed taped onto my business card to each one who comes to me and have them read this verse as encouragement. You have caused that tiny seed to have a huge ministry within the hearts of those students, and sometimes the parents too.
I know that in the context, You were talking about being able to cast out a demon, but we have those "demons" in our lives that we have invited in to plague us too. They are: fear, mistrust, selfishness, discontent, unbelief, anger, and pride. We invite them when we are not reading, studying, heeding and obeying Your Word on a daily basis, and do not take the fact that we have been crucified with You seriously. We excuse our sin and most generally blame them on someone else or our circumstances.
This tiny seed and reading this verse gives hope and encouragement to us The seed is very tiny...smaller than a bee bee, smaller than a piece of sea salt. We need only have that much faith and we can rid ourselves of the beasts that plague us through confession and repentance, and nothing (that You want) will be impossible for us. I tell the students that You send to me, that they could have seen any one of the advocates, but You sent them to me that day because You wanted them to see the seed and read the verse as Your reminder to them. I tell them that You did not say, "Sometimes this is true, sometimes not." You did not say , "Some things will be impossible for you." If they are doing what You called them to do, walking very closely with You, and do not have a unconfessed sin list, then this is true...always!
A couple of weeks ago, one of the students You had brought to me earlier came to my office and said, "Miss Timi, I need another mustard seed." Because I tape them to my business card, I asked him if he had put his in the wash. He told me that he had not, but had taken the seed off the card and had planted it in a pot in his dorm room and it was growing. He said he was going to Afghanistan in September and did not want to go without a mustard seed as a reminder.
I took his idea and planted two seeds in a little pot in my office. I was amazed at how little time it took for them to sprout and start to grow. Within a week there were little shoots, and within two, there were plants about 2 inches tall. You showed me why You chose the mustard seed as an object lesson. Those two little plants have brought more than beauty to my office. They have become as much of a reminder of Your faithfulness to me and the students as the seeds.
This past week, I had some time off to spend with my son Tom and family. I forgot to ask someone to water my plants while I was gone, and did not leave the lamp on that is beside my little pot. When I arrived in my office yesterday, there were two very droopy mustard plants hanging over the sides of the pot. They were still alive, but had little life left in them. I watered the pot and turned the lamp on, and by the end of the day, the plants were perking up. They were not straight and tall as they had been, but were alive.
Lord, You spoke to my heart through those tiny plants. You showed me that If I have even tiny faith and it is planted into the fertile soil of my heart and I keep it watered and in the light, it will grow. But, if I neglect it by not watering it with Your Living Water EVERY day or if it is not in Your nice bright light it will start to die too.
Lord, that has been as much a lesson to me as to the students and some staff. Thank You, Lord, for Your Word and how it ministers to me each day.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
False Teachers Slip In Among Us
Jude 4 "For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."
Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of discernment . Through Your Spirit, You allow us/ me to KNOW the truth and be able to see the lies told by godless men and women in our churches, as they deceive baby believers or those who have gone backwards in their faith because they have not kept up with the truth and are living more like the world than a Christian. I can KNOW the truth only by studying Your Word and allowing the Spirit to teach and guide me into ALL truth. Then I must compare everything by that is said or printed by Your Word to test it for truth.
If I am not in Your word:studying, searching, reading, and praying over it, I too can be deceived because I would not KNOW the truth. Lord, You did not have to leave it with us...but You did. You not only left it with us, but also gave us the author, teacher, and guide the moment we trusted You for our salvation; You entrusted it to us/me! This truth is too wonderful for me!
Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of discernment . Through Your Spirit, You allow us/ me to KNOW the truth and be able to see the lies told by godless men and women in our churches, as they deceive baby believers or those who have gone backwards in their faith because they have not kept up with the truth and are living more like the world than a Christian. I can KNOW the truth only by studying Your Word and allowing the Spirit to teach and guide me into ALL truth. Then I must compare everything by that is said or printed by Your Word to test it for truth.
If I am not in Your word:studying, searching, reading, and praying over it, I too can be deceived because I would not KNOW the truth. Lord, You did not have to leave it with us...but You did. You not only left it with us, but also gave us the author, teacher, and guide the moment we trusted You for our salvation; You entrusted it to us/me! This truth is too wonderful for me!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Contend for the Faith Entrusted to You
Jude 3 "Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints."
Lord, it is amazing, and very humbling for me, to think that You would entrust the faith to frail, sinful, wayward, and selfish "Saints" like me even for one moment, let alone once for all! I am so very undeserving and unworthy of that trust. Without the help of Your Spirit, it would never happen properly and that is a fact.
"Contending for the faith...fighting for it in the Spiritual warfare in which we find ourselves every day. I am to lovingly but boldly proclaim, and stand for, the truth that:
Lord, it is amazing, and very humbling for me, to think that You would entrust the faith to frail, sinful, wayward, and selfish "Saints" like me even for one moment, let alone once for all! I am so very undeserving and unworthy of that trust. Without the help of Your Spirit, it would never happen properly and that is a fact.
"Contending for the faith...fighting for it in the Spiritual warfare in which we find ourselves every day. I am to lovingly but boldly proclaim, and stand for, the truth that:
- We do not, nor can we, ever deserve Your love and salvation
- We cannot earn our own salvation or more of Your love by anything we do
- Salvation is a finished work. We cannot add to it in any way
- All scriptures are true, trustworthy, and inspired by God
- You, God, exist in a triune state-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- all equally powerful, all with the exact same character and attributes
- You, Jesus, as the Son, are the only God-Man who purchased our freedom from the power and penalty of sin with Your own precious, priceless, and perfect blood sacrifice
- We serve You and do good works for You not to earn our salvation but because of it
- You have given us the privilege and power of prayer so that when we are filled and controlled by Your Holy Spirit, and pray according to Your will, revival can, and will, come to us.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Mercy, Peace and Love in Abundance Because of Good Friday
Jude 2 "Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance."
Dear Lord, I confess and ask forgiveness for yesterday morning. I was a "Martha" when I wanted to be a "Mary". However; in your mercy, You still ministered greatly to me anyway. You gave me all three of these things in abundance yesterday, and I thank You.
Sunday School was wonderful and touched me right where I needed it as we ere talking about taking a portion of our day to pray and be alone with You...exactly why I had been too busy to do that morning! Then in the worship service, Pastor Carl asked, "What's So Good About Good Friday?"
Lord Jesus, "Good Friday" was not at all "good" for You!
You were:
Good Friday was Good for All mankind. I am sure that Your followers and family did not see it as good at the time. We don't see the hard and sad times in our lives as good until later. Maybe we won't see them until we get to heaven if then. But because of Good Friday I believe in what You say in Romans 8:1,28, 32 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? "
Lord, that Friday was the worst and the one of the best day in human history (Easter being THE best of ALL days): "Religious" men from Your chosen people out of jealousy turned against You and had others murder their very Messiah! BUT YOU...through Your selfless act of love for all of us were NOT murdered...but willingly GAVE Yourself as the pure and spotless lamb sacrifice so that ALL of mankind could be free from the penalty for their sins.. You paid MY sin debt so that I could be free.
THANK YOU, LORD! I bless Your holy name and praise You with everlasting praises today!
Dear Lord, I confess and ask forgiveness for yesterday morning. I was a "Martha" when I wanted to be a "Mary". However; in your mercy, You still ministered greatly to me anyway. You gave me all three of these things in abundance yesterday, and I thank You.
Sunday School was wonderful and touched me right where I needed it as we ere talking about taking a portion of our day to pray and be alone with You...exactly why I had been too busy to do that morning! Then in the worship service, Pastor Carl asked, "What's So Good About Good Friday?"
Lord Jesus, "Good Friday" was not at all "good" for You!
You were:
- betrayed by one of Your disciples for the price of a slave
- arrested by Your "chosen people" who did not believe You were their Messiah
- deserted by all but one of your disciples
- falsely accused by paid witnesses
- denied not once, but three times by one of your closest friends
- beaten and whipped beyond recognition
- went through three mock trials that took the whole night
- had a crown of thorns places on your head and were mocked and spit upon
- had Your beard plucked out
- then were brutally nailed to a Roman cross
- were mocked more by Your chosen people
- then, the worst off all, were forsaken by Your Father as He had to turn his face away as You the sinless sacrifice, became sin for all humanity past, present, and future, and paid the debt we all owe.
- then Your humanity died!
Good Friday was Good for All mankind. I am sure that Your followers and family did not see it as good at the time. We don't see the hard and sad times in our lives as good until later. Maybe we won't see them until we get to heaven if then. But because of Good Friday I believe in what You say in Romans 8:1,28, 32 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? "
Lord, that Friday was the worst and the one of the best day in human history (Easter being THE best of ALL days): "Religious" men from Your chosen people out of jealousy turned against You and had others murder their very Messiah! BUT YOU...through Your selfless act of love for all of us were NOT murdered...but willingly GAVE Yourself as the pure and spotless lamb sacrifice so that ALL of mankind could be free from the penalty for their sins.. You paid MY sin debt so that I could be free.
THANK YOU, LORD! I bless Your holy name and praise You with everlasting praises today!
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