Proverbs 20:27
The Lord's light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.
O my Father, let Your light penetrate my soul and spirit, expose to me, reveal to me my own hidden motives. I talk myself into thinking that what I'm doing is good and godly, and on the surface it appears to be. But Your light penetrates the inner recesses of my psyche and exposes my hidden motives of pride and self-promotion. And they are ugly.
Forgive me, Father, and cleanse me, clean out those nasty wounds, those detestable parasites wounding my soul. Heal me and anoint me with Your oil of gladness, as Your joy is my strength; and continue to prepare me to be a beautiful bride, fit and suitable and fully prepared to be my Lord's bride.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
Clear Conscience
I Corinthians 4:4
My conscience is clear, but that doesn't prove I am right. It's the Lord, Himself, who will examine me and decide.
I know very well how I can be unknowing, in denial, of my own motives, and have a clear conscience. But then God will show me through His Word, or through another sister or brother, how offensive I have been, and my heart is pricked. Then I must ask forgiveness and make amends.
I thank You, Father, for Your tremendous love for me that will never let me go, or leave me the same; until Your work in me is finished on that Day when You will give me a new, perfect body, suitable and fit to serve You forever; when my Lord Christ Jesus returns to reign.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
My conscience is clear, but that doesn't prove I am right. It's the Lord, Himself, who will examine me and decide.
I know very well how I can be unknowing, in denial, of my own motives, and have a clear conscience. But then God will show me through His Word, or through another sister or brother, how offensive I have been, and my heart is pricked. Then I must ask forgiveness and make amends.
I thank You, Father, for Your tremendous love for me that will never let me go, or leave me the same; until Your work in me is finished on that Day when You will give me a new, perfect body, suitable and fit to serve You forever; when my Lord Christ Jesus returns to reign.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, February 26, 2017
To Be Successful
Joshua 1:8-9
Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. I command you--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
God is our Maker, and His Book of the Law, the Bible, is His Manufacturer's Instructions. He wants all of us to know what He has written there, to read it continually, and to think about it day and night, all the time. We are to consider His ways in every choice we make every day, every decision we make in our lives. That's how we will be able to be successful in our lives, and in our relationships with one another.
Then God will be with us to show us the right way to go, even when it is not the World's way. He will enable us to be bold and courageous to buck the tide and do what is right, even in the face of opposition and discouragement. We need to keep on keeping on, to accomplish everything God has planned for each of us to do. He will strengthen us and keep us faithful to Him when we continually soak in His Word every day.
And God will receive all the credit, all the honor and glory, for all the good that will be accomplished toward His own Kingdom rule, in our hearts now and in the World when Jesus returns.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. I command you--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
God is our Maker, and His Book of the Law, the Bible, is His Manufacturer's Instructions. He wants all of us to know what He has written there, to read it continually, and to think about it day and night, all the time. We are to consider His ways in every choice we make every day, every decision we make in our lives. That's how we will be able to be successful in our lives, and in our relationships with one another.
Then God will be with us to show us the right way to go, even when it is not the World's way. He will enable us to be bold and courageous to buck the tide and do what is right, even in the face of opposition and discouragement. We need to keep on keeping on, to accomplish everything God has planned for each of us to do. He will strengthen us and keep us faithful to Him when we continually soak in His Word every day.
And God will receive all the credit, all the honor and glory, for all the good that will be accomplished toward His own Kingdom rule, in our hearts now and in the World when Jesus returns.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Free From All Blame
I Corinthians 1:8
He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the Day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
O my Father, I thank You for Who You are, for being my great and omnipotent and magnificent and faithful God of all the Universe. I praise You for Your strength and Your goodness and Your beauty. Thank You for Your promise to keep me strong in You until the very Day our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
I know I have no strength in myself, in my flesh. The only strength I have is from You by Your own Holy Spirit. I thank You and praise You for giving to me Your Spirit of Truth and Righteousness so that I can be truthful and righteous. Only in You can I claim or experience any goodness. Help me to do my part to cooperate with You in bringing righteousness to my little part of the World, and may each of us as Your church rise up to do our parts to bring Your righteousness and peace back to this Nation You once made great, before the end comes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the Day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
O my Father, I thank You for Who You are, for being my great and omnipotent and magnificent and faithful God of all the Universe. I praise You for Your strength and Your goodness and Your beauty. Thank You for Your promise to keep me strong in You until the very Day our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
I know I have no strength in myself, in my flesh. The only strength I have is from You by Your own Holy Spirit. I thank You and praise You for giving to me Your Spirit of Truth and Righteousness so that I can be truthful and righteous. Only in You can I claim or experience any goodness. Help me to do my part to cooperate with You in bringing righteousness to my little part of the World, and may each of us as Your church rise up to do our parts to bring Your righteousness and peace back to this Nation You once made great, before the end comes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, February 24, 2017
Our Responsibility
II Chronicles 34:33
So King Josiah removed all detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship the Lord their God. And throughout the rest of his lifetime, they did not turn away from the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
This shows how the ruler of the nation can influence the people under his authority. This king was a "good" king, who knew God as the only God, and he promoted worship of the only One Who deserves adoration. And while he was still king over them, the people never did turn away from doing right, which brought peace to the land.
There are also plenty of examples of "bad" kings over Israel, who led the people into horrible, degrading acts of paganism; and that brought on wars, unrest, and even captivity.
We, as the citizens of our Nation, need to open our eyes and ears to understand how our daily lives and attitudes reflect either our good God or our detestable enemy. And we need to observe those who seek to rule over us, to examine their characters, in order to cooperate with God to elect righteous men and women over us to lead us aright, into the right, good ways of the Lord we call our God.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
So King Josiah removed all detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship the Lord their God. And throughout the rest of his lifetime, they did not turn away from the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
This shows how the ruler of the nation can influence the people under his authority. This king was a "good" king, who knew God as the only God, and he promoted worship of the only One Who deserves adoration. And while he was still king over them, the people never did turn away from doing right, which brought peace to the land.
There are also plenty of examples of "bad" kings over Israel, who led the people into horrible, degrading acts of paganism; and that brought on wars, unrest, and even captivity.
We, as the citizens of our Nation, need to open our eyes and ears to understand how our daily lives and attitudes reflect either our good God or our detestable enemy. And we need to observe those who seek to rule over us, to examine their characters, in order to cooperate with God to elect righteous men and women over us to lead us aright, into the right, good ways of the Lord we call our God.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, February 23, 2017
From Rebellion To Humility
II Chronicles 33:12-13
But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God!
Manasseh's whole life was one of rebellion against the Lord as he ran after all the gods of the land, until he was taken prisoner to a foreign land with a ring in his nose, like a cow.
But in his distress and helplessness, he did seek and humbled himself before the Lord, the God over all the Earth. And when God brought Manasseh back, then he realized that the Lord really is the only God. He went on to remove all the pagan shrines he had built, and tried to lead the people back to God, too. So his end was much better than his beginning.
No matter how far we stray and run from God, He can bring us back, if we but humble ourselves before Him. And He can bring about the impossible.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God!
Manasseh's whole life was one of rebellion against the Lord as he ran after all the gods of the land, until he was taken prisoner to a foreign land with a ring in his nose, like a cow.
But in his distress and helplessness, he did seek and humbled himself before the Lord, the God over all the Earth. And when God brought Manasseh back, then he realized that the Lord really is the only God. He went on to remove all the pagan shrines he had built, and tried to lead the people back to God, too. So his end was much better than his beginning.
No matter how far we stray and run from God, He can bring us back, if we but humble ourselves before Him. And He can bring about the impossible.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Hezekiah And Asa, Our Examples
II Chronicles 31:21
King Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.
O my father, I thank You for giving us King Hezekiah's story, and telling us all about King Asa, and all the other accounts of Your people as examples for us to follow. Help us as a people to follow their example of seeking You with our whole heart, not being double-minded, but seeking Your Face in all that we do.
You set up and throw down our leaders, the "kings" of our nations. I believe that You have given us a Christian President now as Your Hezekiah or Your Asa, to lead us back into Your ways. Strengthen him and protect him from the enemy's attacks.
Continue to wake up Your church in America from our deep sleep; awaken us to the realization of how far we have fallen, how deep is the pit we have tumbled into down that slippery slope of the enemy's lies.
Father, I pray that You would return us to Your righteous ways. Rain down Your righteousness upon us all, as floods have deluged areas of the world, may Your righteousness soak us through, to cast down all the idols and pagan altars that have brought us shame. Forgive us, Father, and heal our land.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
King Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.
O my father, I thank You for giving us King Hezekiah's story, and telling us all about King Asa, and all the other accounts of Your people as examples for us to follow. Help us as a people to follow their example of seeking You with our whole heart, not being double-minded, but seeking Your Face in all that we do.
You set up and throw down our leaders, the "kings" of our nations. I believe that You have given us a Christian President now as Your Hezekiah or Your Asa, to lead us back into Your ways. Strengthen him and protect him from the enemy's attacks.
Continue to wake up Your church in America from our deep sleep; awaken us to the realization of how far we have fallen, how deep is the pit we have tumbled into down that slippery slope of the enemy's lies.
Father, I pray that You would return us to Your righteous ways. Rain down Your righteousness upon us all, as floods have deluged areas of the world, may Your righteousness soak us through, to cast down all the idols and pagan altars that have brought us shame. Forgive us, Father, and heal our land.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Ears And Eyes
Proverbs 20:12
Ears to hear and eyes to see--both are gifts from the Lord.
I pray that God would open our ears that we may hear, and open our eyes that we may see. That we may hear and see and perceive and understand what we are hearing and seeing in the light of God's Word and His ways, and how He is working in our lives and in the lives of others around us. May we do only what He deems helpful and necessary; that we not interfere in how He is dealing with His servants.
And I pray that God would cover us with His peace, that we need not worry or concern ourselves with what appears contrary, but trust in God to work His own will in our minds and hearts and lives according to His own plans for each of us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Ears to hear and eyes to see--both are gifts from the Lord.
I pray that God would open our ears that we may hear, and open our eyes that we may see. That we may hear and see and perceive and understand what we are hearing and seeing in the light of God's Word and His ways, and how He is working in our lives and in the lives of others around us. May we do only what He deems helpful and necessary; that we not interfere in how He is dealing with His servants.
And I pray that God would cover us with His peace, that we need not worry or concern ourselves with what appears contrary, but trust in God to work His own will in our minds and hearts and lives according to His own plans for each of us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, February 20, 2017
Time Is Running Out
Romans 13:11-12
This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the Day of Salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.
Jesus is coming soon! Time is running out! It's time we all wake up from our complacency and get busy seeking God's face and His ways in our lives. We are responsible for all of our choices each day, from the smallest detail to the most momentous decisions.
Our Salvation here refers to the complete Redemption of our bodies into our glorious resurrection bodies that are like Jesus' Resurrection Body, that glows as bright as the Sun, at His coming again. And never before in history have all the signs of His coming been present all at the same time, as it is today.
So let us quit that bad habit, apologize to that person, or do that thing we have been put off doing. Let's not waste any of the precious moments of the few days left allotted to each of us until Jesus' Glorious Appearing. May our Lord strengthen us to do the good works our hands find to do and accomplish, starting with the little things of each day that will build into the larger things of our life's purpose.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the Day of Salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.
Jesus is coming soon! Time is running out! It's time we all wake up from our complacency and get busy seeking God's face and His ways in our lives. We are responsible for all of our choices each day, from the smallest detail to the most momentous decisions.
Our Salvation here refers to the complete Redemption of our bodies into our glorious resurrection bodies that are like Jesus' Resurrection Body, that glows as bright as the Sun, at His coming again. And never before in history have all the signs of His coming been present all at the same time, as it is today.
So let us quit that bad habit, apologize to that person, or do that thing we have been put off doing. Let's not waste any of the precious moments of the few days left allotted to each of us until Jesus' Glorious Appearing. May our Lord strengthen us to do the good works our hands find to do and accomplish, starting with the little things of each day that will build into the larger things of our life's purpose.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Persistent Rebellion
Revelation 9:20-21
But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to turn from their evil deeds; ... and they did not repent of their murders or their magic arts (witchcraft) or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
These things are what will be prevalent in the World during the Great Tribulation, and are even now regularly practiced among those who live today. It is amazing that, even though God patiently waits, and, in turn, sends blessings and tragedies, still there are those who refuse to humble themselves before God and admit that He alone deserves their worship and homage. No matter what God does to them, whether good or bad, all without a doubt and obviously His doing, they still remain stubbornly brazen with their rebellion and hatred for everything that is decent and honorable.
God has proved Himself perfectly just when He condemns the wicked. And perfectly good and gentle and loving in His grace and mercy to us who have recognized His sovereignty. Even though it is of God and not we ourselves that we have turned to Him; it is all God. He sets up and throws down. He punishes and forgives. And He alone deserves all the credit for it all, all the honor and glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to turn from their evil deeds; ... and they did not repent of their murders or their magic arts (witchcraft) or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
These things are what will be prevalent in the World during the Great Tribulation, and are even now regularly practiced among those who live today. It is amazing that, even though God patiently waits, and, in turn, sends blessings and tragedies, still there are those who refuse to humble themselves before God and admit that He alone deserves their worship and homage. No matter what God does to them, whether good or bad, all without a doubt and obviously His doing, they still remain stubbornly brazen with their rebellion and hatred for everything that is decent and honorable.
God has proved Himself perfectly just when He condemns the wicked. And perfectly good and gentle and loving in His grace and mercy to us who have recognized His sovereignty. Even though it is of God and not we ourselves that we have turned to Him; it is all God. He sets up and throws down. He punishes and forgives. And He alone deserves all the credit for it all, all the honor and glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, February 18, 2017
The Ground Is Level
Romans 11:32
For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so He could have mercy on everyone.
It has been said that the ground is level at the foot of the Cross. Everyone who has ever lived, born of Adam, has entered this world with a defective human nature. Because of this sin-nature we have all made foolish decisions, we've missed the mark of perfection in our lives. So we all have an equal opportunity to kneel before Him in repentance.
Truly, no one can know God's thoughts, or understand His ways in our own thinking and deciphering. He has taken the weak things to conquer the strong, and the foolish things to confound the wise. He has bound, imprisoned everyone in disobedience, not one seeks after God, no not one! This way, God could have mercy on everyone, to draw them to Himself and forgive.
God has drawn me to Himself, broken the shackles of rebellion, and taught me of His beauty and love. His wisdom and power cannot be measured by human standards. We all come up short when we try to approach Him in our own strength, by our own methods; for we are feeble and foolish. Only in God can we find true beauty, wisdom and strength. Only His ways lead to health and life and abundance, eternally.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so He could have mercy on everyone.
It has been said that the ground is level at the foot of the Cross. Everyone who has ever lived, born of Adam, has entered this world with a defective human nature. Because of this sin-nature we have all made foolish decisions, we've missed the mark of perfection in our lives. So we all have an equal opportunity to kneel before Him in repentance.
Truly, no one can know God's thoughts, or understand His ways in our own thinking and deciphering. He has taken the weak things to conquer the strong, and the foolish things to confound the wise. He has bound, imprisoned everyone in disobedience, not one seeks after God, no not one! This way, God could have mercy on everyone, to draw them to Himself and forgive.
God has drawn me to Himself, broken the shackles of rebellion, and taught me of His beauty and love. His wisdom and power cannot be measured by human standards. We all come up short when we try to approach Him in our own strength, by our own methods; for we are feeble and foolish. Only in God can we find true beauty, wisdom and strength. Only His ways lead to health and life and abundance, eternally.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, February 17, 2017
Words And Thoughts
Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
May I take to heart God's "thought list" in Philippians 4:8, to meditate on, to think about, only what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or worthy of praise; and may those thoughts filling my heart overflow out my mouth in words that are gentle, compassionate and loving.
Then the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart will be pleasing to my dear Lord, the Rock beneath my feet, the Redeemer of my life and the Savior of my soul.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
May I take to heart God's "thought list" in Philippians 4:8, to meditate on, to think about, only what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or worthy of praise; and may those thoughts filling my heart overflow out my mouth in words that are gentle, compassionate and loving.
Then the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart will be pleasing to my dear Lord, the Rock beneath my feet, the Redeemer of my life and the Savior of my soul.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Propped Himself Up
II Chronicles 18:34
The battle raged all that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans. In the evening, just as the sun was setting, he died.
Ahab consistently rejected the Lord every time he was warned. He had so many opportunities to turn from his evil ways, but he never did. Then, knowing that he would be killed, that he was already dying, he still "propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans."
How many times do we prop ourselves up instead of leaning on the Lord, to face our enemies? It's useless. We have no strength, any more than Ahab did. He still died, and we, too, are destroyed. Our enemy is far stronger than we can ever be in our own flesh.
My strength is in the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, Heavenly armies sent to fight the battles on my behalf. And I know that the war has already been won. I just need to cling to my Protector, my Shield, my Covering, and allow Him to be my Guide and my Authority.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The battle raged all that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans. In the evening, just as the sun was setting, he died.
Ahab consistently rejected the Lord every time he was warned. He had so many opportunities to turn from his evil ways, but he never did. Then, knowing that he would be killed, that he was already dying, he still "propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans."
How many times do we prop ourselves up instead of leaning on the Lord, to face our enemies? It's useless. We have no strength, any more than Ahab did. He still died, and we, too, are destroyed. Our enemy is far stronger than we can ever be in our own flesh.
My strength is in the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, Heavenly armies sent to fight the battles on my behalf. And I know that the war has already been won. I just need to cling to my Protector, my Shield, my Covering, and allow Him to be my Guide and my Authority.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Hope
Romans 8: 20-25
For the creation (the Universe) was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it (the Second Law of Thermodynamics), in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay (everything going from Order to Chaos, death), and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God (the New Heaven and New Earth).
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, which is the redemption (resurrection in glory) of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.
But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
God's great Plan of the Ages is to work all the way to the New Heaven and New Earth. When He created, everything was good, and Mankind was very good. Then sin entered the picture, and God cursed the whole Universe because of Adam's transgression. Decay and Death had to affect the whole scenario in order for a Savior to be able to die to save Man.
Science is based on the Laws of Thermodynamics. The First Law is the Conservation of Matter, that nothing more can be created nor can what is, be obliterated, only change form. This is God's creation, what He has done, no one else can do, nor can anyone destroy what He has done. The Second Law is Entropy, that all things tend to naturally go from order into chaos. This is the curse that sin has placed on the Universe, decay and death.
When God replaces this cursed order of being with the New Heaven and New Earth, this old order will cease to exist, there will be no more decay or death, and all things will be made new, to never run down, but to endure pristine throughout all eternity. Our bodies will be resurrected to be like Jesus' Resurrection body, and we will shine like the sun. And the curse will be removed from the whole Universe, freeing it to be the glorious creation God meant it to be.
This is the "last chapter" in our story. But I don't think it is the end of God's plans. Isaiah 9:7 tells us that "there will be no end to the increase of His government." This means that God will never "rest on His laurels" but continue to act, to be creative and inventive, and we will, too, as we are made in His image.
What a wonderful future God has for us! But we are still here, now, in this fallen, cursed world. That's why even the Earth is groaning under the strain of the curse, with all the earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and such. And we are beset with trials, tribulations and griefs. But the Blessed Hope of Christ's Glorious Appearing, and the hope of this unimaginable future can sustain us through it all, knowing that God is sovereign.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For the creation (the Universe) was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it (the Second Law of Thermodynamics), in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay (everything going from Order to Chaos, death), and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God (the New Heaven and New Earth).
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, which is the redemption (resurrection in glory) of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.
But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
God's great Plan of the Ages is to work all the way to the New Heaven and New Earth. When He created, everything was good, and Mankind was very good. Then sin entered the picture, and God cursed the whole Universe because of Adam's transgression. Decay and Death had to affect the whole scenario in order for a Savior to be able to die to save Man.
Science is based on the Laws of Thermodynamics. The First Law is the Conservation of Matter, that nothing more can be created nor can what is, be obliterated, only change form. This is God's creation, what He has done, no one else can do, nor can anyone destroy what He has done. The Second Law is Entropy, that all things tend to naturally go from order into chaos. This is the curse that sin has placed on the Universe, decay and death.
When God replaces this cursed order of being with the New Heaven and New Earth, this old order will cease to exist, there will be no more decay or death, and all things will be made new, to never run down, but to endure pristine throughout all eternity. Our bodies will be resurrected to be like Jesus' Resurrection body, and we will shine like the sun. And the curse will be removed from the whole Universe, freeing it to be the glorious creation God meant it to be.
This is the "last chapter" in our story. But I don't think it is the end of God's plans. Isaiah 9:7 tells us that "there will be no end to the increase of His government." This means that God will never "rest on His laurels" but continue to act, to be creative and inventive, and we will, too, as we are made in His image.
What a wonderful future God has for us! But we are still here, now, in this fallen, cursed world. That's why even the Earth is groaning under the strain of the curse, with all the earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and such. And we are beset with trials, tribulations and griefs. But the Blessed Hope of Christ's Glorious Appearing, and the hope of this unimaginable future can sustain us through it all, knowing that God is sovereign.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
God's Love
Romans 8:38-39
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love; not death or life, not angels, not things present or things to come, not height, not depth, nor any other created thing or being shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
Happy Valentine's Day. Jesus is my Valentine, and I am His.
God has loved us with an everlasting love; so deep, so wide, so high that we cannot begin to understand it. It has no boundaries, no limits. And in God's great wisdom and knowledge and power, He makes even the evil things, the hard things, the sad things, the painful things to work for our good. While we are in the midst of trouble and trial and travail, He is with us, covering us with His blanket of peace and protection, and He gives us the hope, the certain knowing, that He will resolve all the questions and problems and situations that work against us. Because God is for us, no one can succeed against us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love; not death or life, not angels, not things present or things to come, not height, not depth, nor any other created thing or being shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
Happy Valentine's Day. Jesus is my Valentine, and I am His.
God has loved us with an everlasting love; so deep, so wide, so high that we cannot begin to understand it. It has no boundaries, no limits. And in God's great wisdom and knowledge and power, He makes even the evil things, the hard things, the sad things, the painful things to work for our good. While we are in the midst of trouble and trial and travail, He is with us, covering us with His blanket of peace and protection, and He gives us the hope, the certain knowing, that He will resolve all the questions and problems and situations that work against us. Because God is for us, no one can succeed against us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, February 13, 2017
Loveable
Isaiah 54:10
The mountains and the hills may crumble but My love for you will never end, so says the Lord Who loves you.
Jeremiah 31:3
I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you to Myself with lovingkindness.
John 3:16, 17
For God loved the whole world so much that He sent His only Son into the world so that anyone who puts their trust completely in Him would not perish, but be given eternal life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the whole world could be saved by Him.
John 16:27
Jesus said, The Father, Himself, loves you.
Ephesians 2:4
His great love wherewith He loved us.
No matter who we are, where we are, when we are, what we have done, or haven't done, God loves us. God loves each one of us. The Blood Jesus shed on the altar of His Cross was the Blood of God, with infinite worth, more than enough for every person who ever lived. Every single person is savable, if only they will turn to God and accept His gift.
The great tragedy is that most of Mankind will not even want to consider that they need a sin sacrifice to die in their place. The most important decision each of us could ever make concerns the over-arching need to take care of our forever. Nothing in this life will ever compare with what will be in the next realm of our existence, either with God or without Him.
God loves what He made, enough to send His own Son to become part of it, to take care of our most pressing need, because He wants us to be with Him. The only way we could be in His presence is to be cleansed and purified, through the only way that "works," the Blood of Christ.
If you examine your own heart, and you realize that you have never let Jesus be your Sin-Sacrifice, dying in your place; then pray and ask God to grant you in His grace, the gift of saving faith, to place your complete trust in Christ to rescue you from the sin that entangles us all by paying the eternal debt you owe and redeeming you from the slavery of sin.
That's how much God values you and me, and loves us more than we can imagine.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The mountains and the hills may crumble but My love for you will never end, so says the Lord Who loves you.
Jeremiah 31:3
I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you to Myself with lovingkindness.
John 3:16, 17
For God loved the whole world so much that He sent His only Son into the world so that anyone who puts their trust completely in Him would not perish, but be given eternal life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the whole world could be saved by Him.
John 16:27
Jesus said, The Father, Himself, loves you.
Ephesians 2:4
His great love wherewith He loved us.
No matter who we are, where we are, when we are, what we have done, or haven't done, God loves us. God loves each one of us. The Blood Jesus shed on the altar of His Cross was the Blood of God, with infinite worth, more than enough for every person who ever lived. Every single person is savable, if only they will turn to God and accept His gift.
The great tragedy is that most of Mankind will not even want to consider that they need a sin sacrifice to die in their place. The most important decision each of us could ever make concerns the over-arching need to take care of our forever. Nothing in this life will ever compare with what will be in the next realm of our existence, either with God or without Him.
God loves what He made, enough to send His own Son to become part of it, to take care of our most pressing need, because He wants us to be with Him. The only way we could be in His presence is to be cleansed and purified, through the only way that "works," the Blood of Christ.
If you examine your own heart, and you realize that you have never let Jesus be your Sin-Sacrifice, dying in your place; then pray and ask God to grant you in His grace, the gift of saving faith, to place your complete trust in Christ to rescue you from the sin that entangles us all by paying the eternal debt you owe and redeeming you from the slavery of sin.
That's how much God values you and me, and loves us more than we can imagine.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, February 12, 2017
I Am Forgivable
Isaiah 43:25
I am the God Who forgives your sins, and I do this because of Who I am. I will not hold your sins against you.
Ephesians 1:4
Long ago, even before He made the world, God chose us to be His very own through what Christ would do for us; He decided then to make us holy in His eyes, without a single fault--we who stand before Him covered with His love.
I am forgivable. If I deserved forgiveness, I wouldn't need it. But I am a sinner, born with a defective nature that causes me to be susceptible to making poor choices, deserving God's wrath. Because of Who God is, He chooses to have mercy on me, not giving me the wrath I deserve, but instead to shower His grace upon me, forgiving me and cleansing me of all unrighteousness. This fits me to be in His presence, since He cannot be in the presence of sin.
John 17 records Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, and in it He prays, "Father, I want that all those You have given Me be with Me where I am" (v. 24). This is the joy that was set before Him to enable Him to endure the Cross. He knew that the only way we could be pure and holy to be in God's presence was by the washing in His Blood that He shed. He is the only Way to God, He is the Truth we need to believe, and He is the Life we can live with Him forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I am the God Who forgives your sins, and I do this because of Who I am. I will not hold your sins against you.
Ephesians 1:4
Long ago, even before He made the world, God chose us to be His very own through what Christ would do for us; He decided then to make us holy in His eyes, without a single fault--we who stand before Him covered with His love.
I am forgivable. If I deserved forgiveness, I wouldn't need it. But I am a sinner, born with a defective nature that causes me to be susceptible to making poor choices, deserving God's wrath. Because of Who God is, He chooses to have mercy on me, not giving me the wrath I deserve, but instead to shower His grace upon me, forgiving me and cleansing me of all unrighteousness. This fits me to be in His presence, since He cannot be in the presence of sin.
John 17 records Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, and in it He prays, "Father, I want that all those You have given Me be with Me where I am" (v. 24). This is the joy that was set before Him to enable Him to endure the Cross. He knew that the only way we could be pure and holy to be in God's presence was by the washing in His Blood that He shed. He is the only Way to God, He is the Truth we need to believe, and He is the Life we can live with Him forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, February 11, 2017
I Am Capable
II Corinthians 3:5-6
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
The capacity we have comes from God; it is He Who made us capable of serving the New Covenant. The Old Testament records The Law, the first covenant, or contract with His people. In this arrangement God required His people to conform to specific actions and rituals. These rituals were to keep the people's attention on what God wanted to do for them, in the sacrifices, to have the animals die so their sins could be covered.
The New Covenant is founded on what God has now done and completed for us: Jesus has fulfilled all of The Law, He became our sacrifice that the individual had been required to bring to the priest to die for his sins by being God's perfect Lamb, whose Blood would not merely cover, but actually take away our sins. Now God has written His Law in our hearts, not requiring all the outward rituals any more, but understanding the Spirit of the Law, the principles that the Law was founded on.
Now we are able to obey God's purposes in ways that are much deeper than ancient Israel understood. And it is God Who has given His Holy Spirit to live inside our human spirit of life, making our dead spirits alive, and making us competent, capable of sharing this Good News of Salvation with other people who wouldn't know without our telling them. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Just going through the motions is deadening, but living according to the principle of Love that underlies God's plans and purposes for us will enliven us to show the World Who God is, and how He loves us all.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
The capacity we have comes from God; it is He Who made us capable of serving the New Covenant. The Old Testament records The Law, the first covenant, or contract with His people. In this arrangement God required His people to conform to specific actions and rituals. These rituals were to keep the people's attention on what God wanted to do for them, in the sacrifices, to have the animals die so their sins could be covered.
The New Covenant is founded on what God has now done and completed for us: Jesus has fulfilled all of The Law, He became our sacrifice that the individual had been required to bring to the priest to die for his sins by being God's perfect Lamb, whose Blood would not merely cover, but actually take away our sins. Now God has written His Law in our hearts, not requiring all the outward rituals any more, but understanding the Spirit of the Law, the principles that the Law was founded on.
Now we are able to obey God's purposes in ways that are much deeper than ancient Israel understood. And it is God Who has given His Holy Spirit to live inside our human spirit of life, making our dead spirits alive, and making us competent, capable of sharing this Good News of Salvation with other people who wouldn't know without our telling them. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Just going through the motions is deadening, but living according to the principle of Love that underlies God's plans and purposes for us will enliven us to show the World Who God is, and how He loves us all.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, February 10, 2017
I Am Acceptable
Titus 3:7
That having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Jesus treated us much better than we deserve. He made us acceptable to God and gave us the hope of eternal life.
Psalm 27:10
Even if my mother and father forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
There is no closer love-bond on Earth than Mother-love and Father-love. Yet even if this bond can be broken, God's love-bond will never fade, will never be any less than it is, no matter what.
No matter what anyone else says or does, God's love will never change; He will always accept me and love me and approve of me. He will enable me to accomplish the work He has decided is mine to do, and He will even reward me for doing what He does through me.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
That having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Jesus treated us much better than we deserve. He made us acceptable to God and gave us the hope of eternal life.
Psalm 27:10
Even if my mother and father forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
There is no closer love-bond on Earth than Mother-love and Father-love. Yet even if this bond can be broken, God's love-bond will never fade, will never be any less than it is, no matter what.
No matter what anyone else says or does, God's love will never change; He will always accept me and love me and approve of me. He will enable me to accomplish the work He has decided is mine to do, and He will even reward me for doing what He does through me.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, February 9, 2017
From Lost To Redeemed
Ephesians 2:3-5, 8-10
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh, and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, Who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We lived among them at one time: Before we became Christians we were just like all the other lost people.
Gratifying the cravings of our flesh, following its desires and thoughts: We used to go after all the pleasures of this world to try to satisfy our wants, thinking like the World.
Like the rest of the lost people of the World, we were by nature, the human nature we were born with, objects of wrath because of the sinfulness of our nature that causes us to make all the foolish choices, called sins.
But erases what just went before.
God, Everything always starts with God, and is finished by Him.
Because of His great love for us, This is how much God loves each of us.
Who is rich in mercy, Mercy is God not giving us the wrath we deserve.
Made us alive, because we were spiritually dead--life is spirit.
With Christ, When Jesus was Resurrected, He gave us His Resurrection Life.
even when we were dead in transgressions, our disobedience to His Law that results from our having that defective human nature; we are all born dead.
--It is by grace that you have been saved, ... For it is by grace that you have been saved, Grace is God's Riches At Christ's Expense, the goodness that we can never earn or deserve.
Through faith, trusting in the truthfulness of what God has said in His written Word: that we all deserve death and Jesus took our death upon Himself for each one of us on that altar of the Cross, to pay the eternal debt we each owe to God for the sin-nature we were born with.
And this faith is not from yourselves, we have not the ability to muster up this belief within ourselves, it is impossible.
It is the gift of God, God draws us and grants us this gift of the ability to believe.
Not by works, not by anything we can do or say or think or engender in ourselves.
So that no one can boast. No one will ever be able to compare their Redemption to anyone else's. No one will ever be able to take pride in anything about their own coming to Salvation, because it is all God and none of us.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, God's masterpiece, that He has made and molded and produced and decorated.
To do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. God created each of us new in order to live our lives in His power of His Holy Spirit, doing the things He planned before He created anything; and He has prepared us, or is preparing us, to each do our part in His great Plan of the Ages.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh, and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, Who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We lived among them at one time: Before we became Christians we were just like all the other lost people.
Gratifying the cravings of our flesh, following its desires and thoughts: We used to go after all the pleasures of this world to try to satisfy our wants, thinking like the World.
Like the rest of the lost people of the World, we were by nature, the human nature we were born with, objects of wrath because of the sinfulness of our nature that causes us to make all the foolish choices, called sins.
But erases what just went before.
God, Everything always starts with God, and is finished by Him.
Because of His great love for us, This is how much God loves each of us.
Who is rich in mercy, Mercy is God not giving us the wrath we deserve.
Made us alive, because we were spiritually dead--life is spirit.
With Christ, When Jesus was Resurrected, He gave us His Resurrection Life.
even when we were dead in transgressions, our disobedience to His Law that results from our having that defective human nature; we are all born dead.
--It is by grace that you have been saved, ... For it is by grace that you have been saved, Grace is God's Riches At Christ's Expense, the goodness that we can never earn or deserve.
Through faith, trusting in the truthfulness of what God has said in His written Word: that we all deserve death and Jesus took our death upon Himself for each one of us on that altar of the Cross, to pay the eternal debt we each owe to God for the sin-nature we were born with.
And this faith is not from yourselves, we have not the ability to muster up this belief within ourselves, it is impossible.
It is the gift of God, God draws us and grants us this gift of the ability to believe.
Not by works, not by anything we can do or say or think or engender in ourselves.
So that no one can boast. No one will ever be able to compare their Redemption to anyone else's. No one will ever be able to take pride in anything about their own coming to Salvation, because it is all God and none of us.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, God's masterpiece, that He has made and molded and produced and decorated.
To do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. God created each of us new in order to live our lives in His power of His Holy Spirit, doing the things He planned before He created anything; and He has prepared us, or is preparing us, to each do our part in His great Plan of the Ages.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
I Am Valuable
Luke 12:24
Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because God feeds them. And you are far more valuable than birds!
I John 1:4
You belong to God.
I Corinthians 7:23
You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to Him.
What something is worth is what someone is willing to pay for it. Jesus became a Man in order to be the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God, who shed God's infinitely valuable Blood to purchase each of us. That is what you and I are worth to God: beyond valuation.
So I belong to God in three ways: He owns me because He made me; He owns me because He purchased me to be His own property; and He owns me as He was the perfect Lamb Who was sacrificed to pay my debt to God for my sin-nature, as well as all the sins that emanated from it, and thereby redeemed me from a miserable eternity, to spend forever with Him, instead, as His own sister, friend, and bride.
That is what I am worth, not what any other human person thinks of me. And that is what you are worth, too.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because God feeds them. And you are far more valuable than birds!
I John 1:4
You belong to God.
I Corinthians 7:23
You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to Him.
What something is worth is what someone is willing to pay for it. Jesus became a Man in order to be the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God, who shed God's infinitely valuable Blood to purchase each of us. That is what you and I are worth to God: beyond valuation.
So I belong to God in three ways: He owns me because He made me; He owns me because He purchased me to be His own property; and He owns me as He was the perfect Lamb Who was sacrificed to pay my debt to God for my sin-nature, as well as all the sins that emanated from it, and thereby redeemed me from a miserable eternity, to spend forever with Him, instead, as His own sister, friend, and bride.
That is what I am worth, not what any other human person thinks of me. And that is what you are worth, too.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
That All Peoples May Know
II Chronicles 6: 32-33
As for the foreigner who does not belong to Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your great Name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm--when he comes and prays toward this Temple, then hear from Heaven, Your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of You, so that all the peoples of the Earth may know Your Name and fear You, as do Your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears Your Name.
Solomon has just finished building and furnishing the Temple, the first ever built for the Lord God, and is praying over it, at its dedication.
King Solomon asked God for several things in this prayer, but I think the most memorable is this part, where he asks that when some foreign person who has no genetic connection to Israel at all (since Noah) comes to pray in or toward this Temple that is now God's dwelling place on Earth, that God would also hear his prayer, and respond in answer. That will allow other Nations, other peoples, to know that God is not only the God of Israel, but the Almighty God over the whole Earth, and have that reverential respect that is called fear for Him, and honor Him, and worship Him as the only God that He is.
God chose one Nation to receive His Law, build His Temple, and demonstrate to the World how good God is, and how much He loves people, all people everywhere. It is a great tragedy that Israel did not continue to honor God, but were so soon and often drawn away to other ways of thinking and living.
The Epistle to the Hebrew Christians begins by saying that, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, Whom He appointed heir of all things, and through Whom He made the Universe" (Hebrews 1:1-2).
God spoke to Solomon, and He spoke through Solomon in expressing His desire to dwell with Mankind. He traveled with Israel through the Desert in a tent, the Tabernacle; now Solomon has built Him a magnificent House, The Temple, for God to dwell there with His people. Today He dwells with us in His Holy Spirit, right inside our own spirits. He gave His Law to Israel on stone tablets; He writes His Law on our hearts today, to not just consider the "letter of the law," but to understand the righteous moral principles that The Law was based on, going far deeper into obedience to His ways than ancient Israel understood.
May God's people today, Christians, found among both Israel and all other Nations of the World, be the example to the rest of the people of the World of how good, compassionate and just He is, the only God, the Maker and Sustainer of the whole Universe.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
As for the foreigner who does not belong to Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your great Name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm--when he comes and prays toward this Temple, then hear from Heaven, Your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of You, so that all the peoples of the Earth may know Your Name and fear You, as do Your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears Your Name.
Solomon has just finished building and furnishing the Temple, the first ever built for the Lord God, and is praying over it, at its dedication.
King Solomon asked God for several things in this prayer, but I think the most memorable is this part, where he asks that when some foreign person who has no genetic connection to Israel at all (since Noah) comes to pray in or toward this Temple that is now God's dwelling place on Earth, that God would also hear his prayer, and respond in answer. That will allow other Nations, other peoples, to know that God is not only the God of Israel, but the Almighty God over the whole Earth, and have that reverential respect that is called fear for Him, and honor Him, and worship Him as the only God that He is.
God chose one Nation to receive His Law, build His Temple, and demonstrate to the World how good God is, and how much He loves people, all people everywhere. It is a great tragedy that Israel did not continue to honor God, but were so soon and often drawn away to other ways of thinking and living.
The Epistle to the Hebrew Christians begins by saying that, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, Whom He appointed heir of all things, and through Whom He made the Universe" (Hebrews 1:1-2).
God spoke to Solomon, and He spoke through Solomon in expressing His desire to dwell with Mankind. He traveled with Israel through the Desert in a tent, the Tabernacle; now Solomon has built Him a magnificent House, The Temple, for God to dwell there with His people. Today He dwells with us in His Holy Spirit, right inside our own spirits. He gave His Law to Israel on stone tablets; He writes His Law on our hearts today, to not just consider the "letter of the law," but to understand the righteous moral principles that The Law was based on, going far deeper into obedience to His ways than ancient Israel understood.
May God's people today, Christians, found among both Israel and all other Nations of the World, be the example to the rest of the people of the World of how good, compassionate and just He is, the only God, the Maker and Sustainer of the whole Universe.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, February 6, 2017
A Blank Check
II Chronicles 1:7
That night God appeared to Solomon and said, "What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!"
God offered Solomon a blank check, to fill out however way he wanted. He could have asked for popularity among his people, he could have asked for great riches and fame in the world, he could have asked for anything!
We know that Solomon asked God to give him wisdom, to be able to rule this great people that belonged to God in the right way. God was pleased that he was more concerned for his people than in his own welfare, and whenever we put others before our own pleasure or prosperity or convenience, then God is also pleased with us. God granted Solomon's request, and Solomon became famous throughout that world for his wisdom, bringing the Queen of Sheba to satisfy her own curiosity, and surpassing all the stories she had heard. And God also gave Solomon such great riches that no king since him has been able to equal his wealth, and the prosperity of his Nation Israel under his rule. Also, God granted him peace among all the other Nations of his world, so that no one tried to invade or conquer him to take their riches.
We are also given a blank check, to ask what we want, and have our requests granted (John 15:7). Whenever we order our own lives and views and attitudes according to God's ways as taught us in His Word, then we will be cooperating with how God designed this World to work, and we will benefit in His blessings, and be a blessing to others in our world. Then we will be doing the work God planned for us before the foundations of the World were laid, to assist in God's Plan of the Ages to progress in our time toward that final culmination.
David and Solomon and Saint Paul all did their part in working out God's Plan in their time, and now it's our time to do our part. May each of us continue to seek God's Face and His ways in our thinking processes and desires, and accomplish all He has planned for us to do.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
That night God appeared to Solomon and said, "What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!"
God offered Solomon a blank check, to fill out however way he wanted. He could have asked for popularity among his people, he could have asked for great riches and fame in the world, he could have asked for anything!
We know that Solomon asked God to give him wisdom, to be able to rule this great people that belonged to God in the right way. God was pleased that he was more concerned for his people than in his own welfare, and whenever we put others before our own pleasure or prosperity or convenience, then God is also pleased with us. God granted Solomon's request, and Solomon became famous throughout that world for his wisdom, bringing the Queen of Sheba to satisfy her own curiosity, and surpassing all the stories she had heard. And God also gave Solomon such great riches that no king since him has been able to equal his wealth, and the prosperity of his Nation Israel under his rule. Also, God granted him peace among all the other Nations of his world, so that no one tried to invade or conquer him to take their riches.
We are also given a blank check, to ask what we want, and have our requests granted (John 15:7). Whenever we order our own lives and views and attitudes according to God's ways as taught us in His Word, then we will be cooperating with how God designed this World to work, and we will benefit in His blessings, and be a blessing to others in our world. Then we will be doing the work God planned for us before the foundations of the World were laid, to assist in God's Plan of the Ages to progress in our time toward that final culmination.
David and Solomon and Saint Paul all did their part in working out God's Plan in their time, and now it's our time to do our part. May each of us continue to seek God's Face and His ways in our thinking processes and desires, and accomplish all He has planned for us to do.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Answered Prayer
Luke 11: 9-10
And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.
This is how God designed the world to work for us, based on a faith principle. Anyone who knows clearly what they want, and asks specifically for it, and implicitly believes that it is possible to have it, and looks for it and expects it; will, without fail, receive it. God made it work this way so that we would put our faith in Him.
The World has gotten hold of this principle, and Rhonda Byrne wrote a book called "The Secret" outlining this process, calling it the "principle of attraction." Other authors have also advanced this "theory of abundance" to teach people to believe in themselves, or "the universe", or whatever, to answer this request and grant the petition, without acknowledging God at all. This is another example of our enemy Satan counterfeiting God's good gifts. Many of the super-rich people of the World have used this process to amass their wealth, but, "What will it profit a man if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).
Our enemy also uses this idea to convince people that they are "all right" with God, because they prayed for whatever, and got it. But if they've never admitted to God that they deserve death and let Jesus take their place in death on the Cross, then His Blood He shed on that altar has not washed away their sins, and God cannot hear their prayers, still being polluted by sin.
But we who know God through faith in His Son, our Savior, are to rely on our Heavenly Father implicitly, trusting that He will provide for our every need, both in this World and in the next. All we need to do is to ask Him, knowing that His love for us will give to us from His abundance, to take good care of us as our Father. To keep on asking, to keep on looking for the answer, to keep on knocking on that door that is not open to us yet, never giving up on His faithfulness. And we will receive from His majestic abundance, meeting our every need, answering our every request, and fitting us for His eternal glory when He calls us into eternity.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.
This is how God designed the world to work for us, based on a faith principle. Anyone who knows clearly what they want, and asks specifically for it, and implicitly believes that it is possible to have it, and looks for it and expects it; will, without fail, receive it. God made it work this way so that we would put our faith in Him.
The World has gotten hold of this principle, and Rhonda Byrne wrote a book called "The Secret" outlining this process, calling it the "principle of attraction." Other authors have also advanced this "theory of abundance" to teach people to believe in themselves, or "the universe", or whatever, to answer this request and grant the petition, without acknowledging God at all. This is another example of our enemy Satan counterfeiting God's good gifts. Many of the super-rich people of the World have used this process to amass their wealth, but, "What will it profit a man if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).
Our enemy also uses this idea to convince people that they are "all right" with God, because they prayed for whatever, and got it. But if they've never admitted to God that they deserve death and let Jesus take their place in death on the Cross, then His Blood He shed on that altar has not washed away their sins, and God cannot hear their prayers, still being polluted by sin.
But we who know God through faith in His Son, our Savior, are to rely on our Heavenly Father implicitly, trusting that He will provide for our every need, both in this World and in the next. All we need to do is to ask Him, knowing that His love for us will give to us from His abundance, to take good care of us as our Father. To keep on asking, to keep on looking for the answer, to keep on knocking on that door that is not open to us yet, never giving up on His faithfulness. And we will receive from His majestic abundance, meeting our every need, answering our every request, and fitting us for His eternal glory when He calls us into eternity.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Knowing God Intimately
I Chronicles 28:9-10
And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve Him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek Him you will find Him. ... So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as His Sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.
David is old now, and is ready to retire. He knows that God wants Solomon to be the next king over Israel, to pass down the right to sit on his throne through his line, which it did, all the way down to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus.
David wanted to build God a Temple, to not be in a tent any more, since Israel did not live in tents any more. But God wanted a man of peace, not war, to accomplish this task. Solomon was that man. This was a great work that God chose Solomon to accomplish, and David was encouraging him in it.
And God is also encouraging us as His people to do the work He has chosen us to do. Each of us has our own path to walk, and our own work to accomplish for our part in His Grand Plan of the Ages. To do that, we each need to "learn to know the God of (our) ancestors intimately," by applying ourselves to learning His written Word extensively. The more we immerse ourselves in His Word, believing every "jot and tittle" that our God of Truth has recorded there, the better we will know our Good, Good Father Who made us and loves us beyond anything we will ever be able to fathom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve Him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek Him you will find Him. ... So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as His Sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.
David is old now, and is ready to retire. He knows that God wants Solomon to be the next king over Israel, to pass down the right to sit on his throne through his line, which it did, all the way down to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus.
David wanted to build God a Temple, to not be in a tent any more, since Israel did not live in tents any more. But God wanted a man of peace, not war, to accomplish this task. Solomon was that man. This was a great work that God chose Solomon to accomplish, and David was encouraging him in it.
And God is also encouraging us as His people to do the work He has chosen us to do. Each of us has our own path to walk, and our own work to accomplish for our part in His Grand Plan of the Ages. To do that, we each need to "learn to know the God of (our) ancestors intimately," by applying ourselves to learning His written Word extensively. The more we immerse ourselves in His Word, believing every "jot and tittle" that our God of Truth has recorded there, the better we will know our Good, Good Father Who made us and loves us beyond anything we will ever be able to fathom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, February 3, 2017
Trials, Endurance, Character, Hope
Romans 5:3-4
... Problems and trials help us develop endurance. Endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
We can rejoice in problems and trials when we view them from God's point of view. He is using these dreaded things to mold us into the very image of His Son. So our trials are developing our endurance, to carry on carrying on. This in turn builds our character, and our character is what we will bring with us into Eternity. As our character strengthens, our confidence grows, and our trust in God's certain Promises settles our hearts and chases away all worry and regret, looking toward His future that He has already planned for us to have, both in this life and in the next.
We know that God will settle all debts, right all wrongs, even all odds, and even reward us for accomplishing the things He planned for us to do, in His power to do them. God is so good, the reality of what Good is. He is Love, He is Light, He is Life. God is everything we need.
When we would end up in this world divested of all worldly things, and all we will have is God; then God will show Himself to be everything we need!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
... Problems and trials help us develop endurance. Endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
We can rejoice in problems and trials when we view them from God's point of view. He is using these dreaded things to mold us into the very image of His Son. So our trials are developing our endurance, to carry on carrying on. This in turn builds our character, and our character is what we will bring with us into Eternity. As our character strengthens, our confidence grows, and our trust in God's certain Promises settles our hearts and chases away all worry and regret, looking toward His future that He has already planned for us to have, both in this life and in the next.
We know that God will settle all debts, right all wrongs, even all odds, and even reward us for accomplishing the things He planned for us to do, in His power to do them. God is so good, the reality of what Good is. He is Love, He is Light, He is Life. God is everything we need.
When we would end up in this world divested of all worldly things, and all we will have is God; then God will show Himself to be everything we need!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Reasonable Or Deadly?
I Chronicles 15:13
Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time, the anger of the Lord our God burst out against us. We failed to ask God how to move it properly.
We hear David recounting how they were moving the Ark from Abinidab's house, but they had put it on a cart, instead of having the Levites carry it with the staves on their shoulders. God knew that any other method of moving it would be unstable and dangerous, so when the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, Uzza put his hand on the Ark itself so it wouldn't fall, and he died instantly. This Ark was not an ordinary object, and required extraordinary care.
David said that they failed to ask God how to properly move it, and this Uzza, a good man who, in his concern for the safety of the Ark, disregarded his own safety, and paid with his life. Was he electrocuted? Was it radioactive? We don't know, since they knew nothing of these concepts back then to write about them. All they knew was that they hadn't asked God for His instructions, and someone suffered the consequences.
David thought it was perfectly reasonable to use a brand-new cart, but sometimes what we think is reasonable will put us in danger. Maybe not danger of our lives, but danger of our reputations, or, even more important, God's reputation. God wants us to depend on Him, not our own understandings, since His knowledge and understanding is so far beyond ours. He always knows what is best, and we can often misunderstand miserably.
O my Father, please remind me to always ask You for Your ways, to do Your will, not my own, even when I think my way is perfectly reasonable. May I always consult Your Word for my every decision, and always be aware of how Your reputation will fare by my actions. May I seek Your face every moment of every day for my every step in life.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time, the anger of the Lord our God burst out against us. We failed to ask God how to move it properly.
We hear David recounting how they were moving the Ark from Abinidab's house, but they had put it on a cart, instead of having the Levites carry it with the staves on their shoulders. God knew that any other method of moving it would be unstable and dangerous, so when the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, Uzza put his hand on the Ark itself so it wouldn't fall, and he died instantly. This Ark was not an ordinary object, and required extraordinary care.
David said that they failed to ask God how to properly move it, and this Uzza, a good man who, in his concern for the safety of the Ark, disregarded his own safety, and paid with his life. Was he electrocuted? Was it radioactive? We don't know, since they knew nothing of these concepts back then to write about them. All they knew was that they hadn't asked God for His instructions, and someone suffered the consequences.
David thought it was perfectly reasonable to use a brand-new cart, but sometimes what we think is reasonable will put us in danger. Maybe not danger of our lives, but danger of our reputations, or, even more important, God's reputation. God wants us to depend on Him, not our own understandings, since His knowledge and understanding is so far beyond ours. He always knows what is best, and we can often misunderstand miserably.
O my Father, please remind me to always ask You for Your ways, to do Your will, not my own, even when I think my way is perfectly reasonable. May I always consult Your Word for my every decision, and always be aware of how Your reputation will fare by my actions. May I seek Your face every moment of every day for my every step in life.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Procrastination
James 4:17
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
How many times have I procrastinated, and not done what I know to do, but put it off? How often have I heard God's "voice" quietly in my spirit, and discounted it as just my own idea, or say, "Yes, I'll do that, after I finish this," then forget about it? How prone I am to "miss the mark" and put my own ideas and agenda before God's clear instructions!
God showed us way back in the beginning of human history that just knowing what was right would not make us do what was right, but put our own wants and desires ahead of everyone and everything else, regardless of the cost. Mankind became so evil and violent in every thought every day, that God sent The Flood, saving Noah to start over with him.
Now God has written His Law right in our hearts, and given us His Spirit to live in us to make us spiritually alive and teach us what is right and strengthen us to follow through with doing what is right. So we really don't have any excuse.
O my Father, thank you for Your endless mercies and amazing grace, to give us Your very Spirit to cleanse us, teach us and strengthen us. Please help me to recognize Your voice as You speak into my spirit; to listen to what You are saying, and to obey You instantly. Remind me to not put off doing what You want me to do, and help me by demolishing all my excuses before I give them. Embolden me to say Your words to those who need to hear them, in compassion and concern, in gentleness and meekness. And may I continue to seek Your face every day until that Day!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
How many times have I procrastinated, and not done what I know to do, but put it off? How often have I heard God's "voice" quietly in my spirit, and discounted it as just my own idea, or say, "Yes, I'll do that, after I finish this," then forget about it? How prone I am to "miss the mark" and put my own ideas and agenda before God's clear instructions!
God showed us way back in the beginning of human history that just knowing what was right would not make us do what was right, but put our own wants and desires ahead of everyone and everything else, regardless of the cost. Mankind became so evil and violent in every thought every day, that God sent The Flood, saving Noah to start over with him.
Now God has written His Law right in our hearts, and given us His Spirit to live in us to make us spiritually alive and teach us what is right and strengthen us to follow through with doing what is right. So we really don't have any excuse.
O my Father, thank you for Your endless mercies and amazing grace, to give us Your very Spirit to cleanse us, teach us and strengthen us. Please help me to recognize Your voice as You speak into my spirit; to listen to what You are saying, and to obey You instantly. Remind me to not put off doing what You want me to do, and help me by demolishing all my excuses before I give them. Embolden me to say Your words to those who need to hear them, in compassion and concern, in gentleness and meekness. And may I continue to seek Your face every day until that Day!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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