Isaiah 1:18-20
"Come now, let us settle the matter [let us reason together]," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." --
God is pleading with His people, with us, to come to our senses (reason together) and recognize how all of our poor choices, missing the mark of perfection--sins--are complicating our lives and causing all our problems and troubles. Sins are not black, they are a deep red, a scarlet or crimson. But God is offering a way to "clean up" all the messes, making them as pristine as the new fallen snow, as bright white as the newly shorn fleece of wool.
"If you are willing and obedient," --
We need to decide to choose His ways and pay attention to do what He tells us to do.
"You will eat the good things of the land;" --
Doing what is right will result in our enjoying the benefits of this world.
"But if you resist and rebel", --
To decide to make our own ideas of what we want to do for ourselves instead of listening to and taking to heart His ways.
"you will be devoured by the sword." --
The consequences of bucking reality: by war, by the vote, by the cutting tongue.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Always With Us
Hebrews 13:5-6
Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; --
Do not let getting paid be your first priority, appreciate what you already have been given; focus on enjoying what you already have, not on other things you want that you don't have yet.
for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you, --
(Quoting Deuteronomy 31:16 and also Joshua 1:15) God promised Joshua in both of these books that He would never abandon him to his own devises, but would be faithful in staying with him through conquering all the pagan peoples who were occupying the Promised Land.
So that we confidently say, "The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?" --
(Quoting Psalm 118:6) The Psalmist has applied this promise not only to Joshua, but to all of God's people. And the writer of Hebrews also has understood this promise as to all of us who have put our trust in Christ. Jesus, Himself promised to always be with us, "even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
So, no matter what we face, we know that Jesus will always be with us to strengthen us in the right priorities of life. We can always choose to do what we know is right, even if the world doesn't approve, or thinks we're foolish.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; --
Do not let getting paid be your first priority, appreciate what you already have been given; focus on enjoying what you already have, not on other things you want that you don't have yet.
for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you, --
(Quoting Deuteronomy 31:16 and also Joshua 1:15) God promised Joshua in both of these books that He would never abandon him to his own devises, but would be faithful in staying with him through conquering all the pagan peoples who were occupying the Promised Land.
So that we confidently say, "The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?" --
(Quoting Psalm 118:6) The Psalmist has applied this promise not only to Joshua, but to all of God's people. And the writer of Hebrews also has understood this promise as to all of us who have put our trust in Christ. Jesus, Himself promised to always be with us, "even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
So, no matter what we face, we know that Jesus will always be with us to strengthen us in the right priorities of life. We can always choose to do what we know is right, even if the world doesn't approve, or thinks we're foolish.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Lack Of Knowledge
Hosea 4:6, 14
My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge, because you have rejected knowledge.
A people without understanding will come to ruin.
Whenever people decide that they themselves are intelligent and smart enough to figure out for themselves what they want to choose, and reject what God has clearly set forth in all His creation: His beauty, order out of chaos, life itself; then they sink into deceptive ways. When they reject the Truth, then their lies lead them away from life into death, away from order into chaos. When people embrace false ways (false gods), then they keep themselves from being able to understand how God made this world to work, and end up "throwing a monkey wrench into the works." Then they wonder why they have such troubles and broken relationships and poverty of satisfaction in all the material goods they have gained.
Let us turn to the Lord, the Maker of our world, and learn His ways He designed this environment to operate. And let us humble ourselves before Him, realizing how our prideful choices (sins) have separated us from Him; and how He has already done the unthinkable, to still love us so much that He sent His only Son to be that Perfect Sacrifice to pay our debt to God in full, in "becoming sin" (bearing our sin-nature on the Cross) "for us" (in our place, each one of us) (II Corinthians 5:21), and now "will heal us, He will bind up our wounds" (6:1).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge, because you have rejected knowledge.
A people without understanding will come to ruin.
Whenever people decide that they themselves are intelligent and smart enough to figure out for themselves what they want to choose, and reject what God has clearly set forth in all His creation: His beauty, order out of chaos, life itself; then they sink into deceptive ways. When they reject the Truth, then their lies lead them away from life into death, away from order into chaos. When people embrace false ways (false gods), then they keep themselves from being able to understand how God made this world to work, and end up "throwing a monkey wrench into the works." Then they wonder why they have such troubles and broken relationships and poverty of satisfaction in all the material goods they have gained.
Let us turn to the Lord, the Maker of our world, and learn His ways He designed this environment to operate. And let us humble ourselves before Him, realizing how our prideful choices (sins) have separated us from Him; and how He has already done the unthinkable, to still love us so much that He sent His only Son to be that Perfect Sacrifice to pay our debt to God in full, in "becoming sin" (bearing our sin-nature on the Cross) "for us" (in our place, each one of us) (II Corinthians 5:21), and now "will heal us, He will bind up our wounds" (6:1).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, June 20, 2016
God's Principle: The Law Of Attraction
I John 5:14-15
And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
The world has gotten hold of this principle, and they call it "The Secret." When we know what we want, and it is in line with how God made this world to work, and we ask for it with a sure confidence that we have received it, even before we actually have it in hand, then the "law if attraction" will bring that answer into our reality. We have the requests which we have asked from Him. This is the way God told us this world operates. Even when the world system does not acknowledge God as the Giver of the answer, when they firmly believe they will get what they're asking for, they do receive it. It works, because it's God's principle. How much more confidence do we have, who know the Giver of good gifts, and trust Him to bless us for His glory!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
The world has gotten hold of this principle, and they call it "The Secret." When we know what we want, and it is in line with how God made this world to work, and we ask for it with a sure confidence that we have received it, even before we actually have it in hand, then the "law if attraction" will bring that answer into our reality. We have the requests which we have asked from Him. This is the way God told us this world operates. Even when the world system does not acknowledge God as the Giver of the answer, when they firmly believe they will get what they're asking for, they do receive it. It works, because it's God's principle. How much more confidence do we have, who know the Giver of good gifts, and trust Him to bless us for His glory!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, June 19, 2016
God Tells All
Amos 3:7
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
God loves us, and He will never pull a surprise on us unawares. He always has recorded in His Word, the Bible, the plan He has set into motion in this whole Universe to run in an orderly fashion, and told us how to cooperate with the way He has designed this Earth to operate. He did not leave anything to Chance: He decided all the parameters and set into play all the operations of how this world is to run. And He wants us to follow His Manufacturer's Instructions in obeying all the rules, all the principles that are open for us all to see and learn. Then we will enjoy all the blessings, all the bounty this Earth can give us.
And He also told us what the consequences would be if we disobey, if we try to make our own decisions against how He made things to run. When we ignore Him and His ways, we encounter troubles, trials and griefs; we find that violence increases and freedoms are denied; we see both our Nations and our personal lives and families destroyed. Just like He said would happen.
Even when the World happens on His principles by accident and follow them, they reap the same bounty of this Earth. That's how He designed it. So it is our choice. We can consult the Owner's Manual to discern the "right" way to do things, or we can consider ourselves smart enough to decide for ourselves instead, and suffer the consequences.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
God loves us, and He will never pull a surprise on us unawares. He always has recorded in His Word, the Bible, the plan He has set into motion in this whole Universe to run in an orderly fashion, and told us how to cooperate with the way He has designed this Earth to operate. He did not leave anything to Chance: He decided all the parameters and set into play all the operations of how this world is to run. And He wants us to follow His Manufacturer's Instructions in obeying all the rules, all the principles that are open for us all to see and learn. Then we will enjoy all the blessings, all the bounty this Earth can give us.
And He also told us what the consequences would be if we disobey, if we try to make our own decisions against how He made things to run. When we ignore Him and His ways, we encounter troubles, trials and griefs; we find that violence increases and freedoms are denied; we see both our Nations and our personal lives and families destroyed. Just like He said would happen.
Even when the World happens on His principles by accident and follow them, they reap the same bounty of this Earth. That's how He designed it. So it is our choice. We can consult the Owner's Manual to discern the "right" way to do things, or we can consider ourselves smart enough to decide for ourselves instead, and suffer the consequences.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, June 18, 2016
God's Principle Of The Tithe
Nehemiah 10:37, 38
...The Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns.
...And the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse.
God gave His laws and commandments and rules to His people so they could be an example to the rest of the world of how cooperating with the way God made this world to operate will bring its benefits and its bounty to them. All through the whole Bible we learn that to follow God's ways will bring us the blessings of the Lord.
Here we see the principle of the tithe. The people pay their tithes on their income to the Levites who are local in all the rural towns, then the Levites pay their own tithes on this income to the Priests at the Temple. So everyone prospers when this is followed. My local church follows this principle: our members give our tithes to the church, and the church gives a tithe of this income back to God by financing other ministries and missions that serve one another and the world. And my church is prospering, even through these "hard times."
I can testify to my own experience. My family began to tithe when we were "poor," when I had to prioritize my bill-paying, deciding which bills I could put off and how much I could pay on others. I knew that we couldn't "afford" to tithe, so I took God's share out first, then prioritized the rest as per usual. After a while I noticed that I didn't need to prioritize my bills any longer, as I was paying them each week. We didn't have any increase in income, nor any reduction in our bills, but God "stretched" the 90% to cover more than what the 100% was covering before we were tithing! I still don't know how He did it, but I've been thankful ever since, and God did prosper my family through the years and decades. And I still trust Him to meet all my needs, as I need.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
...The Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns.
...And the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse.
God gave His laws and commandments and rules to His people so they could be an example to the rest of the world of how cooperating with the way God made this world to operate will bring its benefits and its bounty to them. All through the whole Bible we learn that to follow God's ways will bring us the blessings of the Lord.
Here we see the principle of the tithe. The people pay their tithes on their income to the Levites who are local in all the rural towns, then the Levites pay their own tithes on this income to the Priests at the Temple. So everyone prospers when this is followed. My local church follows this principle: our members give our tithes to the church, and the church gives a tithe of this income back to God by financing other ministries and missions that serve one another and the world. And my church is prospering, even through these "hard times."
I can testify to my own experience. My family began to tithe when we were "poor," when I had to prioritize my bill-paying, deciding which bills I could put off and how much I could pay on others. I knew that we couldn't "afford" to tithe, so I took God's share out first, then prioritized the rest as per usual. After a while I noticed that I didn't need to prioritize my bills any longer, as I was paying them each week. We didn't have any increase in income, nor any reduction in our bills, but God "stretched" the 90% to cover more than what the 100% was covering before we were tithing! I still don't know how He did it, but I've been thankful ever since, and God did prosper my family through the years and decades. And I still trust Him to meet all my needs, as I need.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, June 17, 2016
Change My Attitude
Genesis 16:9
Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit yourself to her authority."
God told Hagar to change her attitude. It was Hagar's negative attitude toward Sarai that caused Sarai's mistreatment of Hagar, that Hagar was running away from. As a purchased slave in that time and culture, Hagar knew that Sarai was her boss, and had the authority of life and death over her. Today we don't understand that, but Hagar did. It was not just dysfunction that she introduced into this family by her attitude, it could have been very dangerous to her, as well. But a key to healing relationships lay with the one who first decided to react negatively to family members. When Hagar changed her attitude and returned to Sarai and submitted to her authority over her, then the family was able to function again.
I need to always be careful to watch my own attitudes, and not automatically react to others negatively. I need to pause and remember to consider how my response will be received. I don't want to be the one to cause any family or friendship problems.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit yourself to her authority."
God told Hagar to change her attitude. It was Hagar's negative attitude toward Sarai that caused Sarai's mistreatment of Hagar, that Hagar was running away from. As a purchased slave in that time and culture, Hagar knew that Sarai was her boss, and had the authority of life and death over her. Today we don't understand that, but Hagar did. It was not just dysfunction that she introduced into this family by her attitude, it could have been very dangerous to her, as well. But a key to healing relationships lay with the one who first decided to react negatively to family members. When Hagar changed her attitude and returned to Sarai and submitted to her authority over her, then the family was able to function again.
I need to always be careful to watch my own attitudes, and not automatically react to others negatively. I need to pause and remember to consider how my response will be received. I don't want to be the one to cause any family or friendship problems.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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