I Thessalonians 2: 11-12
... How we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God Who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
O my Father, teach me how to behave toward my own children, who are now grown, adults themselves; how to exhort, to encourage, and to urge them to live their lives in a manner that is worthy of Your kingdom and glory. Help me to understand these concepts, so that I can be careful to do these things.
Put a guard on my mouth; teach me to think before I open my mouth to speak, so that I will say only what is good, uplifting, and encouraging; that the law of kindness and mercy be under my tongue and my words will build up and not tear down.
Father, continue to mold and shape me into the very image, the character, of Your own dear Son, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Lord and my King.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Saturday, September 1, 2018
No Means To Repay
Luke 14: 13-14
But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the Resurrection of the righteous.
O my Father, show me who are the spiritually poor, crippled, lame , and blind among my acquaintances. Show me how to honor and encourage them, for healing and restoring.
You have blessed me with so much, Father; show me how to share these blessings with others, with those who realize their need for Your power in their lives; those who have been crippled in their search for You by life circumstances; those who are lame in their walk with You, hobbling and limping along the path You have set their feet upon, to hold them up; and those who are still blind to the wonderful resources, strength, healing, and help we have in You.
Let the Water of Life You have poured into me flow freely out to others who are thirsty and are desperate for Your quenching refreshment. Your Body is true Food and Your Blood is true Drink--Your Words written for us, to nourish, to heal, to medicate, to refresh our real life, which is in You.
Let me be a channel of Your blessings, Father, so that others will be drawn to You and find You as wonderful as I have, as You are.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the Resurrection of the righteous.
O my Father, show me who are the spiritually poor, crippled, lame , and blind among my acquaintances. Show me how to honor and encourage them, for healing and restoring.
You have blessed me with so much, Father; show me how to share these blessings with others, with those who realize their need for Your power in their lives; those who have been crippled in their search for You by life circumstances; those who are lame in their walk with You, hobbling and limping along the path You have set their feet upon, to hold them up; and those who are still blind to the wonderful resources, strength, healing, and help we have in You.
Let the Water of Life You have poured into me flow freely out to others who are thirsty and are desperate for Your quenching refreshment. Your Body is true Food and Your Blood is true Drink--Your Words written for us, to nourish, to heal, to medicate, to refresh our real life, which is in You.
Let me be a channel of Your blessings, Father, so that others will be drawn to You and find You as wonderful as I have, as You are.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, August 31, 2018
These Essentials
Acts 15: 28-29
For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: That you abstain
from things sacrificed to idols, and
from blood, and
from things strangled, and
from fornication.
If you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.
We do well to note from Scripture God's views on our human activities. All four of these things to abstain from deal with our bodies, what we put into them and how we use them.
"Things sacrificed to idols" means participating in idolatrous sacrifices by eating the meat of the animal sacrificed to them. This is more than dietary, it's also a matter of recognizing that only God is God.
"Blood" refers to eating the blood of any animal, because the life is in the blood, and it is to only be used on the altar in connection with forgiveness of sin.
"Things strangled" are animals that have died on their own, probably of some illness or injury. The safety of this meat is questionable.
And "fornication" refers to any kind of sexual encounter that is not pure, that is, between a husband and his wife. This would include any illicit or unnatural or perverted sexual acts.
Deuteronomy 27:15-26 lists the curses upon Israel on Mount Ebal, pronounced and declared at the time they were to enter the Land. And of the twelve curses pronounced, a full third of them (4) deal with sexual acts.
God is very concerned that our sex-lives be pure, as it represents the close intimacy He wants us to have with Him.
He wants us to live lives of purity, which includes chastity and modesty. Our bodies are His temple, so we are to treat them as holy to the Lord and take good care of our physical health, as well as our emotional and spiritual health.
When we are where we need to be then we will be in a position to help our brother or sister. On an airplane, we're always to apply our own oxygen mask first, before helping our seat-mate.
O my Father, thank You for Your good, sensible rules. Thank You for loving us so much that You want us to live with You where You are, and have already taken care of all our needs: You made this Earth for us & put into it great abundance for all of us; You gave us all the information we need to cooperate with You in operating our World on this Earth to access and enjoy the bounty You bless us with; You have sent Your own Son to be our Lamb, sacrificed for each of us, to wash away every stain and spot, making us pristine, white as snow; and You have planned out every path each of us is to walk, overseeing every circumstance and situation, keeping us safe and secure through all of it as we trust in You.
Strengthen us and help us to form our attitudes to live our lives in purity and compassion, as You finish the work You began in each of us on that Day of the Glorious Appearing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: That you abstain
from things sacrificed to idols, and
from blood, and
from things strangled, and
from fornication.
If you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.
We do well to note from Scripture God's views on our human activities. All four of these things to abstain from deal with our bodies, what we put into them and how we use them.
"Things sacrificed to idols" means participating in idolatrous sacrifices by eating the meat of the animal sacrificed to them. This is more than dietary, it's also a matter of recognizing that only God is God.
"Blood" refers to eating the blood of any animal, because the life is in the blood, and it is to only be used on the altar in connection with forgiveness of sin.
"Things strangled" are animals that have died on their own, probably of some illness or injury. The safety of this meat is questionable.
And "fornication" refers to any kind of sexual encounter that is not pure, that is, between a husband and his wife. This would include any illicit or unnatural or perverted sexual acts.
Deuteronomy 27:15-26 lists the curses upon Israel on Mount Ebal, pronounced and declared at the time they were to enter the Land. And of the twelve curses pronounced, a full third of them (4) deal with sexual acts.
God is very concerned that our sex-lives be pure, as it represents the close intimacy He wants us to have with Him.
He wants us to live lives of purity, which includes chastity and modesty. Our bodies are His temple, so we are to treat them as holy to the Lord and take good care of our physical health, as well as our emotional and spiritual health.
When we are where we need to be then we will be in a position to help our brother or sister. On an airplane, we're always to apply our own oxygen mask first, before helping our seat-mate.
O my Father, thank You for Your good, sensible rules. Thank You for loving us so much that You want us to live with You where You are, and have already taken care of all our needs: You made this Earth for us & put into it great abundance for all of us; You gave us all the information we need to cooperate with You in operating our World on this Earth to access and enjoy the bounty You bless us with; You have sent Your own Son to be our Lamb, sacrificed for each of us, to wash away every stain and spot, making us pristine, white as snow; and You have planned out every path each of us is to walk, overseeing every circumstance and situation, keeping us safe and secure through all of it as we trust in You.
Strengthen us and help us to form our attitudes to live our lives in purity and compassion, as You finish the work You began in each of us on that Day of the Glorious Appearing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, August 30, 2018
God -- Humbled -- Even Death
Philippians 2: 6, 8
Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped ... He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus knew before He came that He would have to die. That's the only way anyone is able to get out of this World.
Before this Earth was created, the Triune Godhead decided what He would do when Mankind sinned.
"Then Elohim said, Let us make Man in Our image, after Our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26).
Then the Second Person of the Godhead reached down, got a handful of dirt, and ...
"And the LORD God formed Man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7).
So the LORD God assumed full responsibility for Mankind, knowing that we would sin, and He would only be able to take us to live with Him where He is by coming to us as one of us, in order to cleanse us, so that we would be fit to live with Him where He is.
By becoming the Lamb of God, the personal Sacrifice that we each would need to wash away our sins with His Blood, He would cleanse us of every stain and spot, making us blameless to dwell with Him in Heaven.
This is the only way we can go to Heaven. Jesus knew this. In His humanity, he didn't want to have to go through with it, and prayed in the Garden that if there was any other way, to not make Him do it (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36). But He knew there was no other way, and submitted to the Father's will, that He had agreed to before the beginning.
Jesus had to face death in order to conquer it, and He was Resurrected with a new kind of life, no longer subject to death.
Now He can call us, who have accepted His sacrifice as our own, to that same Resurrection life, our bodies changed to be like His, either from the grave or without having to die, if we live to that Day of His Glorious Appearing. Then we also will no longer be subject to death, and we will live with our Lord, face-to-face, forever.
That's why He came. And He is coming again. Soon.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped ... He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus knew before He came that He would have to die. That's the only way anyone is able to get out of this World.
Before this Earth was created, the Triune Godhead decided what He would do when Mankind sinned.
"Then Elohim said, Let us make Man in Our image, after Our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26).
Then the Second Person of the Godhead reached down, got a handful of dirt, and ...
"And the LORD God formed Man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7).
So the LORD God assumed full responsibility for Mankind, knowing that we would sin, and He would only be able to take us to live with Him where He is by coming to us as one of us, in order to cleanse us, so that we would be fit to live with Him where He is.
By becoming the Lamb of God, the personal Sacrifice that we each would need to wash away our sins with His Blood, He would cleanse us of every stain and spot, making us blameless to dwell with Him in Heaven.
This is the only way we can go to Heaven. Jesus knew this. In His humanity, he didn't want to have to go through with it, and prayed in the Garden that if there was any other way, to not make Him do it (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36). But He knew there was no other way, and submitted to the Father's will, that He had agreed to before the beginning.
Jesus had to face death in order to conquer it, and He was Resurrected with a new kind of life, no longer subject to death.
Now He can call us, who have accepted His sacrifice as our own, to that same Resurrection life, our bodies changed to be like His, either from the grave or without having to die, if we live to that Day of His Glorious Appearing. Then we also will no longer be subject to death, and we will live with our Lord, face-to-face, forever.
That's why He came. And He is coming again. Soon.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
"Never Again"?
Deuteronomy 19: 19-20
... Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. And the rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you.
God is such a good Father to us. He has laid out His laws and statutes and regulations, and He has provided enforcement so that there would be accountability and consequences for not obeying Him.
All so that the rest will hear and obey, and God would then be able to bless them.
We prevent God from being able to bless us by our own sin--our own stubbornness and rebellion. But when consequences are dramatic and immediate, then we gain the fear and respect and awe of God to impel us to obey. Then we can receive good things from His hand again.
O my Father, show us how to promote Your righteousness in our society, so that we will be able to receive Your good in our government and in our Nation, live in peace and freedom; and You will receive the glory!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
... Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. And the rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you.
God is such a good Father to us. He has laid out His laws and statutes and regulations, and He has provided enforcement so that there would be accountability and consequences for not obeying Him.
All so that the rest will hear and obey, and God would then be able to bless them.
We prevent God from being able to bless us by our own sin--our own stubbornness and rebellion. But when consequences are dramatic and immediate, then we gain the fear and respect and awe of God to impel us to obey. Then we can receive good things from His hand again.
O my Father, show us how to promote Your righteousness in our society, so that we will be able to receive Your good in our government and in our Nation, live in peace and freedom; and You will receive the glory!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Be Careful
Deuteronomy 16: 12
... And you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
Proverbs 1: 7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
O my Father, You are the Source and Fountainhead of all Truth, all true knowledge, in every category.
Only a right relationship with You can open our minds and hearts to receive and accept Your Truth.
Even when You grant us Your knowledge and an understanding of Your ways, we still need to "be careful" in order to actually live, doing what You have told us.
We never just fall into doing what is right, we always need to pay attention to what we're doing, what we're saying, and how we're allowing our thought processes to flow.
We constantly need Your Spirit, Father, to fill us and direct our steps, so that we will be able to stay straight on that path You have set our feet upon, not turning to the right-hand nor to the left.
Help me, Father, to walk with You, my Lord and my Guide, not wandering off or pulling away. Hold my hand tightly, that I not be drawn away by the crowds of the World pressing in.
And may You receive all the credit, all the glory, for what Your are doing in and through me, throughout all the World, and into Your glorious Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
... And you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
Proverbs 1: 7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
O my Father, You are the Source and Fountainhead of all Truth, all true knowledge, in every category.
Only a right relationship with You can open our minds and hearts to receive and accept Your Truth.
Even when You grant us Your knowledge and an understanding of Your ways, we still need to "be careful" in order to actually live, doing what You have told us.
We never just fall into doing what is right, we always need to pay attention to what we're doing, what we're saying, and how we're allowing our thought processes to flow.
We constantly need Your Spirit, Father, to fill us and direct our steps, so that we will be able to stay straight on that path You have set our feet upon, not turning to the right-hand nor to the left.
Help me, Father, to walk with You, my Lord and my Guide, not wandering off or pulling away. Hold my hand tightly, that I not be drawn away by the crowds of the World pressing in.
And may You receive all the credit, all the glory, for what Your are doing in and through me, throughout all the World, and into Your glorious Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, August 27, 2018
So That God May Bless You
Deuteronomy 13: 6-11; 14: 29
If [anyone, even] your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or your wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, ... do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. ... Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.
...So that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
God left no doubt or ambiguity as to what His laws were, and He required that they be enforced with a strong hand. Why?
God instituted Capital Punishment for Capital offences. When sentences are carried out in a timely fashion, then the rest of society will know where the boundaries are and the consequences for overstepping them, and will comply. That brings order to the society. And He can give us His abundant blessings.
When we are in tune with God and His ways, then we are available to receive from His hand all the good He wants to give us. When we rebel against Him and chase after other, worldly pursuits, we cut off that connection to God, and can receive nothing from Him.
That's why our Nations have such troubles: We have turned away from God as a Nation, and are therefore under His curse!
You must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. Gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt (13: 15-16).
God is deadly serious in what He says. When we listen to what He says, believe that He means it, and obey Him in following His ways; then He shows Himself to be very kind and generous and showers upon us abundant blessings.
But if we decide we know better, or have a better idea than His command, that shows that we have listened to the lies of the enemy and been deceived, to our own destruction.
O my Father, Thank You for Your faithfulness to Your Word. Thank You that we can depend on You to do exactly what You have said You would do, for good and also for bad.
You have given us a free choice to decide what we want, but we don't have a choice when it comes to the consequences of our decisions. Father, lead us, teach us Your wisdom to research the consequences of our possible choices and decide on what You would have us do, to get the very best outcome. And then we will get the benefits and You will get the glory.
And Father, protect Your own. Bring us out of the "city" that is ready to be destroyed, that we not be partakers of her sins or receive any of her plagues (Revelation 18:4).
Bring us out and bring us in, Father, into Your glorious Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
If [anyone, even] your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or your wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, ... do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. ... Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.
...So that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
God left no doubt or ambiguity as to what His laws were, and He required that they be enforced with a strong hand. Why?
God instituted Capital Punishment for Capital offences. When sentences are carried out in a timely fashion, then the rest of society will know where the boundaries are and the consequences for overstepping them, and will comply. That brings order to the society. And He can give us His abundant blessings.
When we are in tune with God and His ways, then we are available to receive from His hand all the good He wants to give us. When we rebel against Him and chase after other, worldly pursuits, we cut off that connection to God, and can receive nothing from Him.
That's why our Nations have such troubles: We have turned away from God as a Nation, and are therefore under His curse!
You must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. Gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt (13: 15-16).
God is deadly serious in what He says. When we listen to what He says, believe that He means it, and obey Him in following His ways; then He shows Himself to be very kind and generous and showers upon us abundant blessings.
But if we decide we know better, or have a better idea than His command, that shows that we have listened to the lies of the enemy and been deceived, to our own destruction.
O my Father, Thank You for Your faithfulness to Your Word. Thank You that we can depend on You to do exactly what You have said You would do, for good and also for bad.
You have given us a free choice to decide what we want, but we don't have a choice when it comes to the consequences of our decisions. Father, lead us, teach us Your wisdom to research the consequences of our possible choices and decide on what You would have us do, to get the very best outcome. And then we will get the benefits and You will get the glory.
And Father, protect Your own. Bring us out of the "city" that is ready to be destroyed, that we not be partakers of her sins or receive any of her plagues (Revelation 18:4).
Bring us out and bring us in, Father, into Your glorious Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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