Saturated Or Jaded?

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commands that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

So we are to love God with everything in us, teach our children all about what He has done and what He has promised to do, and saturate our families in the Word of God; talk about Him all the time, coming and going; wear the symbols as bracelets and headbands, decorate our houses and yards with them.

So we wear crosses as jewelry and blazoned on our tee shirts; but are we really reminded constantly of God's love for us in sending His own Son to die our death so we can live? Or are we so jaded that we can see the crosses and not perceive the depth of the relationship that God wants to have with us? 

We must teach our children ourselves, not depend on a church or camp to do it for us; they must see in our own daily lives and attitudes the truths that fuel our living. Because they will catch what we really do believe, as shown in our lives. We live in glass houses, nothing will be hidden or secret from our children and grandchildren.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Groaning

Romans 8:22,23,26

. . . The whole creation has been groaning . . . We ourselves . . . groan inwardly . . . In the same way, the Spirit . . . Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

We see in verses 19 through 27 a whole picture of all creation groaning under the curse placed on it by Adam's sin, waiting for the curse to be lifted when we are glorified. And we groan inwardly as we wait for that event to happen. And the Holy Spirit, in the meanwhile, also groans in His intercession for us, because we don't even know what to pray for, but He searches our hearts and knows God's will and prays for us. We all groan now, waiting.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The Final Battle Soundtrak

Isaiah 30:31-32

The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria; with His scepter He will strike them down. Every stroke the Lord lays on them with His punishing rod will be to the music of tambourines and harps, as He fights them in battle with the blows of His arm.

Those who make movies understand the dramatic effects of the right soundtrack for the action. But they can't outdo God! When Jesus returns to conquer the nations who are attacking Israel, the music of a grand orchestra will accompany the actions. No mere man will be able to out-dramatize the very Creator of all!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The Law

James 2:10

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

It has been said that the body of laws--the Law--is like a chain. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If one link breaks, the chain is broken, even though all the other links are intact. If the one link breaks, whatever is being hauled by it will come loose, and be lost, all for that one link.

So it is with the Law: Stumble at one point, and we are not perfect, we've missed the bulls-eye and sinned. That's why Jesus took our sin-nature on the Cross for each of us, He was and is perfect, He hits the bulls-eye every time.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Living In The Lord

Psalm 27:4

One thing I ask of the Lord, - My only petition.

This is what I seek: - What I'm asking for.

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, - To live daily in His presence, continually.

To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord - I see God's beauty everywhere in all creation.

And to seek Him in His temple. - I don't need to go some specific place, my very body is God's temple, and I will recognize His presence in me, in His temple; and be aware of His continual fellowship all day, every day, conversing and worshiping all day, every day!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Boldness In Our Witness

John 4: 25-26

The woman said, "I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am He."

Jesus was not shy with this woman, but came out clearly stating that He was the Messiah she was looking for. He didn't beat around the bush or play guessing games with her, He said right out, "I am He"! She was ready to accept Him, and did so joyfully, sharing with everybody in the town.

We also, who have God's Spirit in us, need not be shy in proclaiming to others that wonderful Good News (Gospel) that Jesus really is who He claims to be, and He really did die and rise from the dead. We can be as bold with our acquaintances as Jesus was with this woman, in sharing how wonderful is the new life we gain through His blood, that begins right now in this life and continues on forever eternally.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Children In God's Own Family

I John 3:1

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! . . .

O my Father! What a miracle-worker You are, to cause us to be born spiritually into Your own family! Please, Father, help the little children who believe in You to grow strong in You, to know their position in You even in the midst of falsehoods they may hear on a daily basis. Teach them to distinguish what is Truth and what is not. They are so vulnerable. Help them to know when they are thinking their own original thoughts from You, and when they are rehearsing what they've heard from others. Protect them from the evil in the world and even in their own homes.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!