Romans 15:4-6
For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus; that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. --
The perseverance and encouragement are gifts from God, so we can understand what God wants to teach us in the Scriptures. When we all have God's Holy Spirit living in us and opening our minds to understand and perceive His ways, and opening our hearts to want to follow through in our attitudes and actions according to what we've learned, then we will all live our lives in obedience to His rules; and when we experience the results of cooperating with the way He designed this world to work and receive the benefits, the blessings from God, then we will all respond to this bounty by magnifying our Creator and Redeemer and Lord together, with one voice.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
What God Established, Stands
Psalm 119:89-91
Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in Heaven. Thy faithfulness continues throughout all generations; Thou didst establish the Earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Thine ordinances, for all things are Thy servants.
God is God, and we are not. God is sovereign over all Creation, for He made it all, and He rules it all. What He established in this Universe continues, because they all obey His ordinances, His rules for them, and they follow them. Only Angels and Man have the authority to disobey His rules; the Angels that sinned were created without the ability to die, so they cannot be redeemed. Man sinned also, but God made Mankind with the ability to live or die, so because we sinned, we can have a substitute to die in our place, so we can live. In the Old Testament, God allowed an animal to die for the sinner, and he can now be forgiven, because the death-price has been paid. When Jesus died, He was the Perfect Sacrifice, Who paid our human death in our place, so now there needs to be no more sacrifices, because what He paid was perfect and forever.
So now we have a truly free choice to obey, and love Him; or to rebel and refuse Him. We can live in His power, as His Spirit has come to live in us, and we are able to now obey His rules; or if we refuse Him, we will perish.
God is Truth, and what He has said will prevail throughout all time, unchangeable and unalterable. Even though this Heaven and this Earth may perish (when He decides to destroy it), His Word will never pass away, through all eternity.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in Heaven. Thy faithfulness continues throughout all generations; Thou didst establish the Earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Thine ordinances, for all things are Thy servants.
God is God, and we are not. God is sovereign over all Creation, for He made it all, and He rules it all. What He established in this Universe continues, because they all obey His ordinances, His rules for them, and they follow them. Only Angels and Man have the authority to disobey His rules; the Angels that sinned were created without the ability to die, so they cannot be redeemed. Man sinned also, but God made Mankind with the ability to live or die, so because we sinned, we can have a substitute to die in our place, so we can live. In the Old Testament, God allowed an animal to die for the sinner, and he can now be forgiven, because the death-price has been paid. When Jesus died, He was the Perfect Sacrifice, Who paid our human death in our place, so now there needs to be no more sacrifices, because what He paid was perfect and forever.
So now we have a truly free choice to obey, and love Him; or to rebel and refuse Him. We can live in His power, as His Spirit has come to live in us, and we are able to now obey His rules; or if we refuse Him, we will perish.
God is Truth, and what He has said will prevail throughout all time, unchangeable and unalterable. Even though this Heaven and this Earth may perish (when He decides to destroy it), His Word will never pass away, through all eternity.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Level Ground
Psalm 143:8-10
Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground."
This is my prayer, also. May I realize that His mercies are new each morning, and that He knows better than I the way I should go each day. I want to be teachable to learn about what He would want from me in every circumstance of my day, then my "enemies" will not prevail over me. My home is not the house I live in, but it is my Lord God, in Whom I dwell and have my being. Following in His footsteps will lead me into that level playing field where I will experience victory in every trial.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground."
This is my prayer, also. May I realize that His mercies are new each morning, and that He knows better than I the way I should go each day. I want to be teachable to learn about what He would want from me in every circumstance of my day, then my "enemies" will not prevail over me. My home is not the house I live in, but it is my Lord God, in Whom I dwell and have my being. Following in His footsteps will lead me into that level playing field where I will experience victory in every trial.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, April 25, 2016
Dwelling Together In Unity
Psalm 133:1
How good and pleasant it is when (God's people)(brethren)(brothers and sisters) live together in unity! --
Well, isn't that the goal of us all, to be able to live peacefully, in agreement with one another as we live our lives! Whether it is in our families, our neighborhoods, or our churches, we all strive to get along.
I have found that the the best way I can get along with others, even those who disagree with my faith or world view, is to find what we do have in common, what we can agree on, and basically agree to disagree on what we don't agree on. But this does not mean to water down what I believe. When I am willing to listen to them, without condemning them or putting them down, then they will be more willing to listen also to me, when I explain how much God loves them and has provided for all their needs.
Even members of my own family can work against me as my enemies, so I need to make every effort to do what I can to reconcile our relationship and keep the lines of communication open.
I pray that we all will discern what we can do, especially in our own families, to show Jesus' love to them in ways they can understand, to reconcile our own families, and to inform and invite them into God's own family.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
How good and pleasant it is when (God's people)(brethren)(brothers and sisters) live together in unity! --
Well, isn't that the goal of us all, to be able to live peacefully, in agreement with one another as we live our lives! Whether it is in our families, our neighborhoods, or our churches, we all strive to get along.
I have found that the the best way I can get along with others, even those who disagree with my faith or world view, is to find what we do have in common, what we can agree on, and basically agree to disagree on what we don't agree on. But this does not mean to water down what I believe. When I am willing to listen to them, without condemning them or putting them down, then they will be more willing to listen also to me, when I explain how much God loves them and has provided for all their needs.
Even members of my own family can work against me as my enemies, so I need to make every effort to do what I can to reconcile our relationship and keep the lines of communication open.
I pray that we all will discern what we can do, especially in our own families, to show Jesus' love to them in ways they can understand, to reconcile our own families, and to inform and invite them into God's own family.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Shoulders Or Carts?
Numbers 7:6-9
So Moses took the carts and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service, and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the Priest. But he did not give any to sons of Kohath because theirs was the service of the holy objects, which they carried on the shoulder.
God directed that the Gershonites would carry all the curtains of the Tabernacle, of the enclosed tent itself and its open courtyard, all the soft, fabric parts of the Tabernacle. They were given two carts and four oxen, so they could fold and stack all the curtains to fit into two carts.
The Merarites were to carry all the boards, bars, pillars and sockets, all the hardware to support the curtains for the tent and the courtyard. So Moses gave them four carts and eight oxen, as that's how many it would take to hold all these items.
But he didn't give any carts or oxen to the sons of Kohath, because they were to carry the "most holy things" on their shoulders, by the poles inserted into the rings on the corners of each object (Numbers 4). This ensured that they would be safe. But the Kohathites were not allowed to touch or even see the objects they carried until they were completely covered by the sons of Aaron, or they would die (Numbers 4:15, 19-20).
Originally, all three tribes were to carry all the Tabernacle tent, hardware and furniture on their shoulders, but these carts and oxen were given as gifts, so Moses allowed the tent and hardware to be loaded onto the carts. But never were the "most holy things" to be carried except on the shoulders of the Kohathites.
God was very precise in how these things were to be handled and dealt with. So with us, God allows some "holy things" to be carried in carts, though we need to pack and load them securely. But the "most holy things" in our lives, we need to carry on our shoulders, to personally bear the burdens, even when we cannot "see" or understand all the intricacies of what we're going through; we are to trust that God knows what's best for us, and remember that it takes great pressure to forge a diamond. He is making diamonds of us, to one day shine like the sun!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
So Moses took the carts and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service, and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the Priest. But he did not give any to sons of Kohath because theirs was the service of the holy objects, which they carried on the shoulder.
God directed that the Gershonites would carry all the curtains of the Tabernacle, of the enclosed tent itself and its open courtyard, all the soft, fabric parts of the Tabernacle. They were given two carts and four oxen, so they could fold and stack all the curtains to fit into two carts.
The Merarites were to carry all the boards, bars, pillars and sockets, all the hardware to support the curtains for the tent and the courtyard. So Moses gave them four carts and eight oxen, as that's how many it would take to hold all these items.
But he didn't give any carts or oxen to the sons of Kohath, because they were to carry the "most holy things" on their shoulders, by the poles inserted into the rings on the corners of each object (Numbers 4). This ensured that they would be safe. But the Kohathites were not allowed to touch or even see the objects they carried until they were completely covered by the sons of Aaron, or they would die (Numbers 4:15, 19-20).
Originally, all three tribes were to carry all the Tabernacle tent, hardware and furniture on their shoulders, but these carts and oxen were given as gifts, so Moses allowed the tent and hardware to be loaded onto the carts. But never were the "most holy things" to be carried except on the shoulders of the Kohathites.
God was very precise in how these things were to be handled and dealt with. So with us, God allows some "holy things" to be carried in carts, though we need to pack and load them securely. But the "most holy things" in our lives, we need to carry on our shoulders, to personally bear the burdens, even when we cannot "see" or understand all the intricacies of what we're going through; we are to trust that God knows what's best for us, and remember that it takes great pressure to forge a diamond. He is making diamonds of us, to one day shine like the sun!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Directing Our Hearts
II Chronicles 20:32-33
And (Jehoshaphat) walked in the way of his father Asa and did not depart from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord. The high places, however, were not removed; the people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their fathers. --
Asa was a good, Godly king who not only worshiped the Lord God himself, but promoted the Lord throughout Israel (II Chronicles 14:2-5). Asa reigned 41 years (16:13), then his son Jehoshaphat became the king. He also worshiped the Lord God, and did right for the people. He had all "the high places and Asherim removed from Judah" at the beginning of his reign (17:6), but by the end of his life, 25 years later, the high places were back. Even after 66 years of good leaders bringing them back to the Lord, "the people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their fathers." It takes constant vigilance to keep the people faithful. We need to make the decision to direct our hearts toward the Lord and continue to monitor our attitudes because the world is just too enticing.
Even so, Come, Lord Jesus!
And (Jehoshaphat) walked in the way of his father Asa and did not depart from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord. The high places, however, were not removed; the people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their fathers. --
Asa was a good, Godly king who not only worshiped the Lord God himself, but promoted the Lord throughout Israel (II Chronicles 14:2-5). Asa reigned 41 years (16:13), then his son Jehoshaphat became the king. He also worshiped the Lord God, and did right for the people. He had all "the high places and Asherim removed from Judah" at the beginning of his reign (17:6), but by the end of his life, 25 years later, the high places were back. Even after 66 years of good leaders bringing them back to the Lord, "the people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their fathers." It takes constant vigilance to keep the people faithful. We need to make the decision to direct our hearts toward the Lord and continue to monitor our attitudes because the world is just too enticing.
Even so, Come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, April 22, 2016
The Wicked And The Good
Psalms 36, 37
(36:1) I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked. There is no fear of God before their eyes. --
David's message tells us why wicked people do what they do: They don't acknowledge any accountability to God, so they have no brake on the sinfulness of our human nature; the result is that they express in their attitudes and decisions all the selfishness, greed and vengeance that are inherent in our fallen nature.
These two Psalms describe God's view of both the wicked and those who know God, who are called good, because God's power overcomes the bent of human nature. The evil will become the victims of their own schemes and be destroyed, while the good will live their lives according to God's ways and reap the benefits in this life and enjoy God in His glory forever. There are no greys with God, only the black (deep crimson) and white.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
(36:1) I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked. There is no fear of God before their eyes. --
David's message tells us why wicked people do what they do: They don't acknowledge any accountability to God, so they have no brake on the sinfulness of our human nature; the result is that they express in their attitudes and decisions all the selfishness, greed and vengeance that are inherent in our fallen nature.
These two Psalms describe God's view of both the wicked and those who know God, who are called good, because God's power overcomes the bent of human nature. The evil will become the victims of their own schemes and be destroyed, while the good will live their lives according to God's ways and reap the benefits in this life and enjoy God in His glory forever. There are no greys with God, only the black (deep crimson) and white.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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