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!
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
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!
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