Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Christophobia: Gain, Find, Know, Attain - Part 1
Christophobia: Gain, Find, Know, Attain - Part 1: "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of al..."
Lessons from Jeremiah the Prophet...
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
We have reached the end of the Book of Jeremiah. The fall of Jerusalem occurred, just as Jeremiah had predicted. Judgment had come. God suffers long and is kind, but He is not indifferent to the evil that goes on. Judgment does come...sin has consequences. The people of Judah had forsaken the living God, the fountain of living waters and carved out for themselves cisterns that could not hold water...they served the useless gods of the people around them and practiced the evil that they required....
There were so many lessons and applications for us to contemplate in the book of Jeremiah. I will not go back and review all of them, but I thought that we could look at a few.
The first is the picture we get of God's outstretched hand of mercy toward His disobedient and contrary people. Throughout the Book of Jeremiah what has struck me is our Lord's faithfulness, long suffering and mercy toward His people. Judah had rejected the word of the Lord, worshiped idols and believed the false prophets. They had walked very far from from the "old paths" where they would find rest for their souls. And yet, God pleads with His beloved people relentlessly throughout the book to come back to Him. It is such a beautiful picture to me as a mom. God warns His children to the very end...He never gives up. He so does not want them to suffer and face judgment. He yearns for them jealously and wants them with Him. When judgment does come, however, the people had no one to blame but themselves. How grieving it is when our children do not hear and go the wrong way. How difficult it is to watch knowing that trouble is ahead for them.
Another beautiful picture in Jeremiah is the prophet's faithfulness. He walked through life obeying God at every turn...despite what it looked like to those around Him...despite the lack of fruit...despite the humiliation and persecution and through it all Jeremiah was preserved and delivered by His God.
Jeremiah preached to the people for 40 years without any fruit. The results of his ministry are not what mattered to God. His heart is what mattered to God. Just as our hearts and not our results are what matters to God. I love that about God..He is so different from the world. Aside from whatever else the Spirit might accomplish through us, He also does a work in our hearts. That brings me to what I thought was the most poignant lesson in Jeremiah...the work that God accomplished in the prophet's heart.
As the prophet obeyed and communed with His God and shared in the fellowship of His suffering, he became like Jesus. Did you get that...the biggest lesson (for me) in Jeremiah is found in the transformation that occurred as he obeyed His Lord and stood on and for His word. In comparing Jesus and Jeremiah we find many similarities. They both rallied against outward religion, they both spoke the truth and were unpopular, they both wept over the city of Jerusalem, they were both men of sorrows and acquainted with grief, they both faced the rejection of their relatives and countrymen, and they both were despised and rejected by men.
Yet in all this Jeremiah was more than a conqueror through Him who loved Him. Why? Through all these things Jeremiah began to resemble his Lord...to be conformed into His image. God graciously used him to warn his beloved countrymen of the coming judgment...but the results of Jeremiah's ministry were up to God. Despite the outward failure of his ministry to the rebellious nation, Jeremiah knew Him and the fellowship of His sufferings...being conformed to His image as he daily died to himself and lived for His God's glory. This is what mattered most in the end to Jeremiah...living for the eternal and not the temporary.This girls is what is also most important in our own lives. Jeremiah is rejoicing in His Savior now...living eternally with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. His rebellious countrymen are suffering eternal torment in separation from God for rejecting His word.
Philippians 3:10 That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
2nd Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Love
Mom
We have reached the end of the Book of Jeremiah. The fall of Jerusalem occurred, just as Jeremiah had predicted. Judgment had come. God suffers long and is kind, but He is not indifferent to the evil that goes on. Judgment does come...sin has consequences. The people of Judah had forsaken the living God, the fountain of living waters and carved out for themselves cisterns that could not hold water...they served the useless gods of the people around them and practiced the evil that they required....
There were so many lessons and applications for us to contemplate in the book of Jeremiah. I will not go back and review all of them, but I thought that we could look at a few.
The first is the picture we get of God's outstretched hand of mercy toward His disobedient and contrary people. Throughout the Book of Jeremiah what has struck me is our Lord's faithfulness, long suffering and mercy toward His people. Judah had rejected the word of the Lord, worshiped idols and believed the false prophets. They had walked very far from from the "old paths" where they would find rest for their souls. And yet, God pleads with His beloved people relentlessly throughout the book to come back to Him. It is such a beautiful picture to me as a mom. God warns His children to the very end...He never gives up. He so does not want them to suffer and face judgment. He yearns for them jealously and wants them with Him. When judgment does come, however, the people had no one to blame but themselves. How grieving it is when our children do not hear and go the wrong way. How difficult it is to watch knowing that trouble is ahead for them.
Another beautiful picture in Jeremiah is the prophet's faithfulness. He walked through life obeying God at every turn...despite what it looked like to those around Him...despite the lack of fruit...despite the humiliation and persecution and through it all Jeremiah was preserved and delivered by His God.
Jeremiah preached to the people for 40 years without any fruit. The results of his ministry are not what mattered to God. His heart is what mattered to God. Just as our hearts and not our results are what matters to God. I love that about God..He is so different from the world. Aside from whatever else the Spirit might accomplish through us, He also does a work in our hearts. That brings me to what I thought was the most poignant lesson in Jeremiah...the work that God accomplished in the prophet's heart.
As the prophet obeyed and communed with His God and shared in the fellowship of His suffering, he became like Jesus. Did you get that...the biggest lesson (for me) in Jeremiah is found in the transformation that occurred as he obeyed His Lord and stood on and for His word. In comparing Jesus and Jeremiah we find many similarities. They both rallied against outward religion, they both spoke the truth and were unpopular, they both wept over the city of Jerusalem, they were both men of sorrows and acquainted with grief, they both faced the rejection of their relatives and countrymen, and they both were despised and rejected by men.
Yet in all this Jeremiah was more than a conqueror through Him who loved Him. Why? Through all these things Jeremiah began to resemble his Lord...to be conformed into His image. God graciously used him to warn his beloved countrymen of the coming judgment...but the results of Jeremiah's ministry were up to God. Despite the outward failure of his ministry to the rebellious nation, Jeremiah knew Him and the fellowship of His sufferings...being conformed to His image as he daily died to himself and lived for His God's glory. This is what mattered most in the end to Jeremiah...living for the eternal and not the temporary.This girls is what is also most important in our own lives. Jeremiah is rejoicing in His Savior now...living eternally with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. His rebellious countrymen are suffering eternal torment in separation from God for rejecting His word.
Philippians 3:10 That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
2nd Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Love
Mom
Monday, February 7, 2011
Rejoicing in Hope...Romans 12:12
Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer...Romans 12:12
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Back to look at another trilogy in Romans 12 that speaks to the kind of behavior that is becoming of a Christian. This one begins with the admonition of rejoicing in hope. What is hope? Hope is the absolute expectation of something good. Biblical hope is sure and certain...as if what you are expecting has already occurred. Luke 10:20 says we are to rejoice because our names are written in the book of life. Romans 5:1-2 are two of the most comforting verses in Scripture because of what they tell me about what I have through Jesus Christ at the moment of my salvation...at the time of my justification.
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
Here is why we should be rejoicing in hope....Yes, we can rejoice because our future is taken care of. Christ is our hope of glory...sure and certain. But through our justification He also has our present and past covered. Read on and be comforted and encouraged that no matter what situation you may find yourself in here on earth, our God is there.
An unbeliever, the bible tells us, is at enmity with God...at war and are under the condemnation of eternal separation from God. Justification is a declaration of peace...through our belief in God's Son we are declared righteous and are no longer under condemnation. We stand in Christ's righteousness. Our sins have been taken care of and eternal life with Him is ours because Christ died for us. We have been conveyed from death to life..from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light. Our past is taken care of...our sins are forgiven.
Now if that were not enough, we also has access to God now...at any time. Ephesians 2:18 says through Him we have access to the Father. The word access means entrance to the king through the favor of another. We can come to Him any time because we are His child. We do not have to clean ourselves up to come...we can just come. Hebrews 4 says we can come boldly to His throne that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25 tells us this:
Romans 8:34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them
So no matter what circumstances we face here our God can see us through. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Christ lives for us...our present is taken care of because He makes intercession for us.
Lastly and most important we can rejoice because our eternal hope is sure and certain. As a believer a home in Heaven with our Lord is ours. One day we will share in His glory. When we were sinners, we had no hope, but were dead in trespasses and sins. We can now boast in His righteousness and His glory. It is as certain as if it had already occurred. The righteous have a refuge in death...Jesus. He is the Anchor of our soul and guides us with His counsel here and afterward receives us in glory. Our flesh and our heart will fail here on earth, but God is our portion forever. Our future is assured...Christ is coming in glory.
Girls, God has got us covered not only because He lives in us...not only because He is our rear guard....not only because He goes before us...but because through our justification He has taken care of our past, our present and our future. Our past is taken care of because our sins (past, present, and future) are taken care of...they are forgiven. Our present is taken care of because we have access to God and can come boldly to His throne of grace to find mercy and help in our time of need. Our future is taken care of because our hope is in Him. He, as it says in Hebrews, is our Anchor, our Hope. He is the Presence that goes behind the veil and allows us access to our Father in Heaven. Our hope is anchored in the unchangeable, immutable word of God. Both in life and death then , we have no worries.
Love
Mom
--Thanks Warren Wiersbe for his commentary on Romans 5:1-2...when I first read it along with the verses it spoke volumes of comfort to my heart. I love the picture of Christ having our past, present and future taken care of and hope you will too.
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Back to look at another trilogy in Romans 12 that speaks to the kind of behavior that is becoming of a Christian. This one begins with the admonition of rejoicing in hope. What is hope? Hope is the absolute expectation of something good. Biblical hope is sure and certain...as if what you are expecting has already occurred. Luke 10:20 says we are to rejoice because our names are written in the book of life. Romans 5:1-2 are two of the most comforting verses in Scripture because of what they tell me about what I have through Jesus Christ at the moment of my salvation...at the time of my justification.
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
Here is why we should be rejoicing in hope....Yes, we can rejoice because our future is taken care of. Christ is our hope of glory...sure and certain. But through our justification He also has our present and past covered. Read on and be comforted and encouraged that no matter what situation you may find yourself in here on earth, our God is there.
An unbeliever, the bible tells us, is at enmity with God...at war and are under the condemnation of eternal separation from God. Justification is a declaration of peace...through our belief in God's Son we are declared righteous and are no longer under condemnation. We stand in Christ's righteousness. Our sins have been taken care of and eternal life with Him is ours because Christ died for us. We have been conveyed from death to life..from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light. Our past is taken care of...our sins are forgiven.
Now if that were not enough, we also has access to God now...at any time. Ephesians 2:18 says through Him we have access to the Father. The word access means entrance to the king through the favor of another. We can come to Him any time because we are His child. We do not have to clean ourselves up to come...we can just come. Hebrews 4 says we can come boldly to His throne that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25 tells us this:
Romans 8:34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them
So no matter what circumstances we face here our God can see us through. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Christ lives for us...our present is taken care of because He makes intercession for us.
Lastly and most important we can rejoice because our eternal hope is sure and certain. As a believer a home in Heaven with our Lord is ours. One day we will share in His glory. When we were sinners, we had no hope, but were dead in trespasses and sins. We can now boast in His righteousness and His glory. It is as certain as if it had already occurred. The righteous have a refuge in death...Jesus. He is the Anchor of our soul and guides us with His counsel here and afterward receives us in glory. Our flesh and our heart will fail here on earth, but God is our portion forever. Our future is assured...Christ is coming in glory.
Girls, God has got us covered not only because He lives in us...not only because He is our rear guard....not only because He goes before us...but because through our justification He has taken care of our past, our present and our future. Our past is taken care of because our sins (past, present, and future) are taken care of...they are forgiven. Our present is taken care of because we have access to God and can come boldly to His throne of grace to find mercy and help in our time of need. Our future is taken care of because our hope is in Him. He, as it says in Hebrews, is our Anchor, our Hope. He is the Presence that goes behind the veil and allows us access to our Father in Heaven. Our hope is anchored in the unchangeable, immutable word of God. Both in life and death then , we have no worries.
Love
Mom
--Thanks Warren Wiersbe for his commentary on Romans 5:1-2...when I first read it along with the verses it spoke volumes of comfort to my heart. I love the picture of Christ having our past, present and future taken care of and hope you will too.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Jesus the Gentle...
Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Before I came to Jesus I never really thought too much about what He was like. If I thought of Him at all, I would picture the very large cross that was in front of the church at the Catholic church where I grew up. As I draw closer to Him, however, I see all of my life through Him. He is my starting point for everything I see and hear.
I can remember reading this verse 10 or 15 years ago and really not knowing quite what to make of it. But over the years as I abided in Him...as I beheld Him...I began to catch glimpses of who He is and as I did what I saw made me fall down (metaphorically speaking) in worship. Truly there is none like Him. His love is amazing, His mercies never fail, His ways past finding out, and His faithfulness reaches to the heavens.
"A bruised reed He will not break." Reeds are pretty fragile...they are hollow tubes and bend, break and crush pretty easily. This is how we are before we come to Christ...beaten down and crushed by the world and our sins. Hollow inside...empty. Jesus longs for you to come to Him when the burdens of the world become crushing, when the hollowness and emptiness of our lives scream for something to fill it. Jesus is the only remedy for that emptiness. He will not break you or destroy you...He wants to heal you. He wants to make your crooked places straight and lift the burden from your shoulders. As a non believer you really can't understand this, because faith is the access to the grace and mercy that is in Christ. When we do cry out, however, we begin to understand that the only life living is one lived in Him and for Him.
"And smoking flax He will not quench." This is a reference to the last piece of wick in an oil lamp. It is the piece you just want to throw out and replace. The one that you don't want to bother with. It is still smoking a bit...kinda just making things stink rather than giving any light. In fact the smoke gets in the way of your vision. The oil is gone as is the light. The natural reaction to that would be to snuff it out and put it out of its misery...just like the natural thing to do with a bent reed is to throw it into a fire to be burned. When you come to Jesus with your "smoking flax" He does not snuff it out...He blows on it...fans the flame and pours oil into your lamp and makes your flame bright again. He does this for me every morning as I study His word. He is not a threat to those who come to Him...He wants to help and heal.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Matthew 11 gives us the the only autobiographical statement Jesus ever made.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Come to Him now if you never have before...bring Him your burden. If you know Him, draw near to Him now...draw near to Him daily...immerse yourself in His word. Jesus came to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free.
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Before I came to Jesus I never really thought too much about what He was like. If I thought of Him at all, I would picture the very large cross that was in front of the church at the Catholic church where I grew up. As I draw closer to Him, however, I see all of my life through Him. He is my starting point for everything I see and hear.
I can remember reading this verse 10 or 15 years ago and really not knowing quite what to make of it. But over the years as I abided in Him...as I beheld Him...I began to catch glimpses of who He is and as I did what I saw made me fall down (metaphorically speaking) in worship. Truly there is none like Him. His love is amazing, His mercies never fail, His ways past finding out, and His faithfulness reaches to the heavens.
"A bruised reed He will not break." Reeds are pretty fragile...they are hollow tubes and bend, break and crush pretty easily. This is how we are before we come to Christ...beaten down and crushed by the world and our sins. Hollow inside...empty. Jesus longs for you to come to Him when the burdens of the world become crushing, when the hollowness and emptiness of our lives scream for something to fill it. Jesus is the only remedy for that emptiness. He will not break you or destroy you...He wants to heal you. He wants to make your crooked places straight and lift the burden from your shoulders. As a non believer you really can't understand this, because faith is the access to the grace and mercy that is in Christ. When we do cry out, however, we begin to understand that the only life living is one lived in Him and for Him.
"And smoking flax He will not quench." This is a reference to the last piece of wick in an oil lamp. It is the piece you just want to throw out and replace. The one that you don't want to bother with. It is still smoking a bit...kinda just making things stink rather than giving any light. In fact the smoke gets in the way of your vision. The oil is gone as is the light. The natural reaction to that would be to snuff it out and put it out of its misery...just like the natural thing to do with a bent reed is to throw it into a fire to be burned. When you come to Jesus with your "smoking flax" He does not snuff it out...He blows on it...fans the flame and pours oil into your lamp and makes your flame bright again. He does this for me every morning as I study His word. He is not a threat to those who come to Him...He wants to help and heal.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Matthew 11 gives us the the only autobiographical statement Jesus ever made.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Come to Him now if you never have before...bring Him your burden. If you know Him, draw near to Him now...draw near to Him daily...immerse yourself in His word. Jesus came to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free.
Love
Mom
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Demonstrating His Love
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
“ Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Dear Girls,
Many of the early believers were servants...we are all, however, servants/employees of someone and ultimately if you are a believer...a servant of the Lord Himself. That is the emphasis here. Our demeanor in this world reflects on our Father in Heaven. Our testimony as a Christian should be above reproach. All we do should be to please Him. We should submit to our employers or masters whether they are considerate or harsh, for in so doing we may win some of them to Christ. (See Matthew 5:46, Luke 6:32-36, Ephesians 6:5-9)
Peter is teaching Isaiah 53 here. In our flesh we respond to offenses against us by surprise surprise...getting offended. Jesus taught and commanded something so different. The beautiful thing about Jesus is that He just didn't tell us what to do or what not to do...He demonstrated it to us by His example. He showed us the way. That is why He said in John..."I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me. It is all about Him. If you want to know how to behave in a way that glorifies your Father in Heaven, in the many different situations you will find yourself confronted with in this life, look to Jesus'. Whatever you might be facing, He has left you an example to follow. I loved what the Believer's Bible Commentary said about the meaning of the word example in verse 21.
"The word used here for example carries the idea of a copybook that contains flawless penmanship. The pupil seeks to reproduce the original as closely as possible. When he copies the model carefully, his writing is quite good. But the further he moves away from it, the more the copy worsens. Our safety is in staying close to the Original."
God is kind to the unthankful and the evil. He blesses people who don't deserve it, (me) and He pours out His kindness on all. This is the kind of love that God wants us to demonstrate to the people around us. SIGH! He wants us to be so conscious of our relationship with Him that we endure wrongdoing and pain without fighting back. He wants us to step out of the way and allow Him to deal with all that comes our way. The battle is truly His. Suffering patiently for doing good is so unnatural, so supernatural, that it shocks people into conviction of sin and, hopefully, into salvation.
We cannot do this unless the God of the Universe dwells in our hearts...it is when we surrender our will to His that this kind of love even becomes possible. When we do surrender, however, what a testimony we are. So unlike the people of the world around us.
Isaiah 53:10-11 "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities."
Isaiah tells us it pleased the Lord to bruise Him and put Him to grief. He made His soul an offering for sin. Why? He "saw His seed." He saw all those who would be saved because of His selfless act. He was not thinking of Himself, He was thinking of us...knowing He was purchasing our redemption...knowing we could now spend eternity with Him. He saw the labor of His soul (me and you!) and was satisfied. Jesus looked ahead and saw the prize. He looked beyond the great sorrow and suffering of the moment and saw His seed and was satisfied. This is the life He calls us to....the life of looking beyond the offense, beyond the suffering and loving others sacrificially. Love always has an effect. It never fails. Look ahead and see the impact you could have for Christ...the pleasure of the Lord prospering in your life as you obey Him. It is not about us...all we do is for Him...for His glory. Commit yourself as Jesus did, to Him who judges righteously.
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.--Romans 5:6-10
Love
Mom
“ Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Dear Girls,
Many of the early believers were servants...we are all, however, servants/employees of someone and ultimately if you are a believer...a servant of the Lord Himself. That is the emphasis here. Our demeanor in this world reflects on our Father in Heaven. Our testimony as a Christian should be above reproach. All we do should be to please Him. We should submit to our employers or masters whether they are considerate or harsh, for in so doing we may win some of them to Christ. (See Matthew 5:46, Luke 6:32-36, Ephesians 6:5-9)
Peter is teaching Isaiah 53 here. In our flesh we respond to offenses against us by surprise surprise...getting offended. Jesus taught and commanded something so different. The beautiful thing about Jesus is that He just didn't tell us what to do or what not to do...He demonstrated it to us by His example. He showed us the way. That is why He said in John..."I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me. It is all about Him. If you want to know how to behave in a way that glorifies your Father in Heaven, in the many different situations you will find yourself confronted with in this life, look to Jesus'. Whatever you might be facing, He has left you an example to follow. I loved what the Believer's Bible Commentary said about the meaning of the word example in verse 21.
"The word used here for example carries the idea of a copybook that contains flawless penmanship. The pupil seeks to reproduce the original as closely as possible. When he copies the model carefully, his writing is quite good. But the further he moves away from it, the more the copy worsens. Our safety is in staying close to the Original."
God is kind to the unthankful and the evil. He blesses people who don't deserve it, (me) and He pours out His kindness on all. This is the kind of love that God wants us to demonstrate to the people around us. SIGH! He wants us to be so conscious of our relationship with Him that we endure wrongdoing and pain without fighting back. He wants us to step out of the way and allow Him to deal with all that comes our way. The battle is truly His. Suffering patiently for doing good is so unnatural, so supernatural, that it shocks people into conviction of sin and, hopefully, into salvation.
We cannot do this unless the God of the Universe dwells in our hearts...it is when we surrender our will to His that this kind of love even becomes possible. When we do surrender, however, what a testimony we are. So unlike the people of the world around us.
Isaiah 53:10-11 "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities."
Isaiah tells us it pleased the Lord to bruise Him and put Him to grief. He made His soul an offering for sin. Why? He "saw His seed." He saw all those who would be saved because of His selfless act. He was not thinking of Himself, He was thinking of us...knowing He was purchasing our redemption...knowing we could now spend eternity with Him. He saw the labor of His soul (me and you!) and was satisfied. Jesus looked ahead and saw the prize. He looked beyond the great sorrow and suffering of the moment and saw His seed and was satisfied. This is the life He calls us to....the life of looking beyond the offense, beyond the suffering and loving others sacrificially. Love always has an effect. It never fails. Look ahead and see the impact you could have for Christ...the pleasure of the Lord prospering in your life as you obey Him. It is not about us...all we do is for Him...for His glory. Commit yourself as Jesus did, to Him who judges righteously.
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.--Romans 5:6-10
Love
Mom
Friday, February 4, 2011
Daniel's Seventy Week Prophecy
“ Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”--Daniel 9:24-27
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
We are in the first chapter of Ezra and looking at prophecy. Yes, I know the verses above are from Daniel 9. My previous study looked at two fulfilled within the first four verses of Ezra chapter 1. As I wrote that last study my mind went to Daniel's 70 week prophecy. Why? Because Cyrus' decree given in 538 B.C. was the first of three and brought it to mind. The third decree by Artaxerxes to Nehemiah to allow the rebuilding of the walls of the City of Jerusalem is the one that Daniel spoke of, and is the one that begins the countdown to Messiah the Prince. It is, in my opinion, one of the most amazing prophecies in Scripture because of its mathematical precision.
Artaxerxes decree was given on March 14, 445 B.C.and it ordered the restoration of the city of Jerusalem and its walls. This decree is the starting point for Daniel's 70 week prophecy...it is where the mathematics begin and ends (for our purposes) with Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. EXCITING STUFF!! (Go here for more info: http://endtimepilgrim.org/70wks3.htm)
Daniel was a prophecy buff...Yup...the prophet loved prophecy. Okay, now that I am thinking about that I guess that is not much of a surprise. Anyway, Chapter 9 verses 1-19 find him praying. The first few verses tell us why.
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.--Daniel 9:1-3
Daniel believed God...He knew what God had prophesied through Jeremiah and understood that the seventy years of captivity were nearing an end. He knew His God was about to do something really great and it led him to prayer. Daniel prayed for repentance on the people's behalf as well as for the promise God made to be fulfilled. The prophet Daniel is one of the most outstanding examples of a life lived unto the Lord in the Bible. God answered Daniel's prayer immediately....
Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:--Daniel 9:20-23
Verse 24 of Daniel 9 begins the seventy week prophecy I have posted at the beginning of this study.
Daniel outlined seventy weeks of years. What is that you ask? Literally seventy sevens or 490 years that were coming prophetically. These begin with Artaxerxes declaration to restore and rebuild Jerusalem which was occurred on March 14, 445 B.C. After this he said there would be 69 weeks of years, which translates into 173,880 days to the coming of Messiah, the Prince. There are six messianic tasks that need to be accomplished according to Daniel 9:24:
1. to finish the transgression
2. to make an end of sins
3. to make reconciliation for iniquity
4. to bring in everlasting righteousness
5. to seal up vision and prophecy
6. to anoint the most Holy
These were fulfilled in Jesus. This prophecy is perhaps the greatest proof for Jesus as the Messiah.
Let's look at the math in those verses, also. There are many who have done the calculations. Sir Robert Anderson was one of them. He took into account the different calendars and discovered that 173,880 brings you to April 6, 32 A.D...which you know is the first Palm Sunday! This is the day that it is believed that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey offering Himself as the long awaited Jewish Messiah. Wow! Wow! Wow! After this, Daniel said the Messiah would be cut-off but not for Himself. This was the crucifixion where He was cut-off for our sins.
Daniel goes on from the middle of verse 26 to the end of the chapter and details the time of what is called Jacob's trouble. The Great Tribulation. He treated this as a separate time when God would judge the earth. Right now we are in the church age...the age of grace. The end is coming...the stage is already being set for the week that Daniel spoke of that would come upon the whole earth. Are you ready?
There are many websites out there that delve into this in detail. Here is one I like in addition to the one given above.
http://www.khouse.org/articles/2004/552/
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
We are in the first chapter of Ezra and looking at prophecy. Yes, I know the verses above are from Daniel 9. My previous study looked at two fulfilled within the first four verses of Ezra chapter 1. As I wrote that last study my mind went to Daniel's 70 week prophecy. Why? Because Cyrus' decree given in 538 B.C. was the first of three and brought it to mind. The third decree by Artaxerxes to Nehemiah to allow the rebuilding of the walls of the City of Jerusalem is the one that Daniel spoke of, and is the one that begins the countdown to Messiah the Prince. It is, in my opinion, one of the most amazing prophecies in Scripture because of its mathematical precision.
Artaxerxes decree was given on March 14, 445 B.C.and it ordered the restoration of the city of Jerusalem and its walls. This decree is the starting point for Daniel's 70 week prophecy...it is where the mathematics begin and ends (for our purposes) with Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. EXCITING STUFF!! (Go here for more info: http://endtimepilgrim.org/70wks3.htm)
Daniel was a prophecy buff...Yup...the prophet loved prophecy. Okay, now that I am thinking about that I guess that is not much of a surprise. Anyway, Chapter 9 verses 1-19 find him praying. The first few verses tell us why.
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.--Daniel 9:1-3
Daniel believed God...He knew what God had prophesied through Jeremiah and understood that the seventy years of captivity were nearing an end. He knew His God was about to do something really great and it led him to prayer. Daniel prayed for repentance on the people's behalf as well as for the promise God made to be fulfilled. The prophet Daniel is one of the most outstanding examples of a life lived unto the Lord in the Bible. God answered Daniel's prayer immediately....
Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:--Daniel 9:20-23
Verse 24 of Daniel 9 begins the seventy week prophecy I have posted at the beginning of this study.
Daniel outlined seventy weeks of years. What is that you ask? Literally seventy sevens or 490 years that were coming prophetically. These begin with Artaxerxes declaration to restore and rebuild Jerusalem which was occurred on March 14, 445 B.C. After this he said there would be 69 weeks of years, which translates into 173,880 days to the coming of Messiah, the Prince. There are six messianic tasks that need to be accomplished according to Daniel 9:24:
1. to finish the transgression
2. to make an end of sins
3. to make reconciliation for iniquity
4. to bring in everlasting righteousness
5. to seal up vision and prophecy
6. to anoint the most Holy
These were fulfilled in Jesus. This prophecy is perhaps the greatest proof for Jesus as the Messiah.
Let's look at the math in those verses, also. There are many who have done the calculations. Sir Robert Anderson was one of them. He took into account the different calendars and discovered that 173,880 brings you to April 6, 32 A.D...which you know is the first Palm Sunday! This is the day that it is believed that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey offering Himself as the long awaited Jewish Messiah. Wow! Wow! Wow! After this, Daniel said the Messiah would be cut-off but not for Himself. This was the crucifixion where He was cut-off for our sins.
Daniel goes on from the middle of verse 26 to the end of the chapter and details the time of what is called Jacob's trouble. The Great Tribulation. He treated this as a separate time when God would judge the earth. Right now we are in the church age...the age of grace. The end is coming...the stage is already being set for the week that Daniel spoke of that would come upon the whole earth. Are you ready?
There are many websites out there that delve into this in detail. Here is one I like in addition to the one given above.
http://www.khouse.org/articles/2004/552/
Love
Mom
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The World is Passing Away...
1 John 2:17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Girls...
A short one on my birthday but filled with much. He who does the will of God abides forever. That verse is the verse that D. L. Moody had inscribed on his tombstone. In order to do the will of God we must be immersed in the word of God. Romans 12:2 says:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The word of God is the anti dote to worldliness. The world is passing away...everything in it will burn one day with a fervent heat but the word of God abides forever.
The Believer's Bible Commentary says focusing on the world is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It is like depositing money in a bank that is breaking. Wise people do not live for the world. They live for Christ and eternity...that is where their heart is and also their treasure. This is my birthday prayer for each of you today. I am a blessed Mom to have daughters who are such blessings. Immerse yourselves in the word and do the will of God...ABIDE FOREVER.
Love
Mom
Girls...
A short one on my birthday but filled with much. He who does the will of God abides forever. That verse is the verse that D. L. Moody had inscribed on his tombstone. In order to do the will of God we must be immersed in the word of God. Romans 12:2 says:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The word of God is the anti dote to worldliness. The world is passing away...everything in it will burn one day with a fervent heat but the word of God abides forever.
The Believer's Bible Commentary says focusing on the world is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It is like depositing money in a bank that is breaking. Wise people do not live for the world. They live for Christ and eternity...that is where their heart is and also their treasure. This is my birthday prayer for each of you today. I am a blessed Mom to have daughters who are such blessings. Immerse yourselves in the word and do the will of God...ABIDE FOREVER.
Love
Mom
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
He Has Got Us Covered...
For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.--Isaiah 52:12
Dear Girls
I love this. God has got us covered. We do not have to rush...or do anything impulsively. He goes ahead of us and shows us the way. We do not have to worry about what is coming up from behind because He is our rear guard. In fact, His grace and mercy follow us and as believers He works all things together for good in our lives. Paul tells us in Acts 17:28 that in Him we live and move and have our being. We are encompassed...surrounded...enveloped by our Lord. The One who inhabits eternity dwells within our hearts and not only makes perfect all things that concern us but also performs all things for us.
Here is one more for you from Isaiah 54:17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.
This is our heritage as His servant. Security and victory are ours...we can claim these promises as His servants Protection is mine because I am His child! Here comes my favorite part. "And their righteousness is from Me." It is His...not ours. If I stood in my own righteousness, I would stand ashamed. But by His grace, I stand in His righteousness, and I look to Him and am radiant and my face is not ashamed.
Love
Mom
Dear Girls
I love this. God has got us covered. We do not have to rush...or do anything impulsively. He goes ahead of us and shows us the way. We do not have to worry about what is coming up from behind because He is our rear guard. In fact, His grace and mercy follow us and as believers He works all things together for good in our lives. Paul tells us in Acts 17:28 that in Him we live and move and have our being. We are encompassed...surrounded...enveloped by our Lord. The One who inhabits eternity dwells within our hearts and not only makes perfect all things that concern us but also performs all things for us.
Here is one more for you from Isaiah 54:17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.
This is our heritage as His servant. Security and victory are ours...we can claim these promises as His servants Protection is mine because I am His child! Here comes my favorite part. "And their righteousness is from Me." It is His...not ours. If I stood in my own righteousness, I would stand ashamed. But by His grace, I stand in His righteousness, and I look to Him and am radiant and my face is not ashamed.
Love
Mom
Fulfilled Prophecy - Ezra 1:1-4
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.--Ezra 1:1-4
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The Book of Ezra begins with fulfillment of prophecy. The above verses are the proclamation by Cyrus to release the people of Israel from captivity. It gave the Jews permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple and the city walls. Jeremiah said that the Jews would be in captivity for 70 years. (See Jeremiah 25:12-14, Jeremiah 29:10, Jeremiah 33:7-13) This prophecy was fulfilled when the decree from Cyrus went out and ended seventy years of captivity for the Jews.
"The seventy-year period can be calculated in two ways: from 605 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem and led off the first deportation, to 535 B.C., when the foundation of the temple was laid; or from the fall of Jerusalem, in 586 B.C., to the completion of the temple, in 516 B.C."--Believer's Bible Commentary
Now maybe that is not enough for you...wait there's more. Isaiah 44:24 begins:
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “ I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness; Who confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’ To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’ And I will raise up her waste places; Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers’; Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”’--Isaiah 44:24-28 (Emphasis mine)
The above was written 180 years before Cyrus' decree went forth...150 years before Cyrus was even born. And yet....and yet the prophet Isaiah by the word of the Lord calls this guy by name. He would not be born until 150 years in the future and yet the Lord named him. Isaiah 45 continues and it is so worth reading.
“Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other;"
Amazing...supernatural. Evidence of the inspiration of God! Here the Lord, speaking through the prophet, spoke of future events with supernatural detail. He names Cyrus and then in chapter 45 says "I have named you, though you have not known Me." The Lord knows each of us like that. Psalm 139 says this in verse 16: "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them" Fulfilled prophecy is not the reason I came to Christ but it is one of the very telling reasons I believe that the Bible is indeed the word of God. Reading them are always an encouragement to my faith. And yes there is more in regard to this decree...next Daniel's seventy week prophecy that begins with Cyrus' decree and ends with Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The Book of Ezra begins with fulfillment of prophecy. The above verses are the proclamation by Cyrus to release the people of Israel from captivity. It gave the Jews permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple and the city walls. Jeremiah said that the Jews would be in captivity for 70 years. (See Jeremiah 25:12-14, Jeremiah 29:10, Jeremiah 33:7-13) This prophecy was fulfilled when the decree from Cyrus went out and ended seventy years of captivity for the Jews.
"The seventy-year period can be calculated in two ways: from 605 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem and led off the first deportation, to 535 B.C., when the foundation of the temple was laid; or from the fall of Jerusalem, in 586 B.C., to the completion of the temple, in 516 B.C."--Believer's Bible Commentary
Now maybe that is not enough for you...wait there's more. Isaiah 44:24 begins:
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “ I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness; Who confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’ To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’ And I will raise up her waste places; Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers’; Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”’--Isaiah 44:24-28 (Emphasis mine)
The above was written 180 years before Cyrus' decree went forth...150 years before Cyrus was even born. And yet....and yet the prophet Isaiah by the word of the Lord calls this guy by name. He would not be born until 150 years in the future and yet the Lord named him. Isaiah 45 continues and it is so worth reading.
“Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other;"
Amazing...supernatural. Evidence of the inspiration of God! Here the Lord, speaking through the prophet, spoke of future events with supernatural detail. He names Cyrus and then in chapter 45 says "I have named you, though you have not known Me." The Lord knows each of us like that. Psalm 139 says this in verse 16: "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them" Fulfilled prophecy is not the reason I came to Christ but it is one of the very telling reasons I believe that the Bible is indeed the word of God. Reading them are always an encouragement to my faith. And yes there is more in regard to this decree...next Daniel's seventy week prophecy that begins with Cyrus' decree and ends with Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Love
Mom
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Introduction to Ezra...
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
Both the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were written by Ezra, the priest during the 5th century B.C. The northern tribes of Israel had been taken captive by Assyria. The Assyrians had repopulated northern Israel and had intermarried with the people. This is where the Samaritan people originated. The Babylonians had conquered southern Israel or Judah and most of the people had been carried away captive. Judah was mostly unpopulated for the 70 years they remained in captivity. The Babylonian Empire was captured by the Persians while the children of Israel were in captivity and the Persians began to allow them to return to their homeland to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.
The book of Ezra begins here and in the Hebrew Bible Ezra and Nehemiah are combined into one book. The first wave to go back went with Zerubbabel . He took about 50,000 with him to work on the reconstruction of the temple. Ezra later followed with about 2,000 more to aid in the rebuilding of the temple. Nehemiah followed to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem.
I love Ezra because he was such a shepherd to the people. He stood on the word of God and really cared for them spiritually. It was not all about the building project. He wanted the people to remember why they went into captivity in the first place and encouraged them to obey the word of God so as not to make the same mistake twice. Ezra was an outstanding leader and led by the word of God.
Next installment...verses 1-4 of chapter 1 that are to me some of the greatest apologetic in the Bible.
Love
Mom
Both the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were written by Ezra, the priest during the 5th century B.C. The northern tribes of Israel had been taken captive by Assyria. The Assyrians had repopulated northern Israel and had intermarried with the people. This is where the Samaritan people originated. The Babylonians had conquered southern Israel or Judah and most of the people had been carried away captive. Judah was mostly unpopulated for the 70 years they remained in captivity. The Babylonian Empire was captured by the Persians while the children of Israel were in captivity and the Persians began to allow them to return to their homeland to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.
The book of Ezra begins here and in the Hebrew Bible Ezra and Nehemiah are combined into one book. The first wave to go back went with Zerubbabel . He took about 50,000 with him to work on the reconstruction of the temple. Ezra later followed with about 2,000 more to aid in the rebuilding of the temple. Nehemiah followed to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem.
I love Ezra because he was such a shepherd to the people. He stood on the word of God and really cared for them spiritually. It was not all about the building project. He wanted the people to remember why they went into captivity in the first place and encouraged them to obey the word of God so as not to make the same mistake twice. Ezra was an outstanding leader and led by the word of God.
Next installment...verses 1-4 of chapter 1 that are to me some of the greatest apologetic in the Bible.
Love
Mom
Remember Your Resting Place
In those days and in that time,” says the LORD, “ The children of Israel shall come, They and the children of Judah together; With continual weeping they shall come, And seek the LORD their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, With their faces toward it, saying,‘ Come and let us join ourselves to the LORD In a perpetual covenant That will not be forgotten.’My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; They have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their resting place--Jeremiah 50:4-6
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
Sometimes it is good to stop and remember. Today as I read through Jeremiah 50 and 51 describing the judgment and destruction that God would bring upon Babylon, I stopped short at this verse and remembered where my resting place is. My resting place is in God, my Savior. He is my shelter.
As God speaks judgment against Babylon, He remembers His people. His people who were in Babylon because of their sin of idolatry...their sin of forgetting Him. Here He predicts blessing for them in verses 4-7 and then again in verses 17-34. He will not forsake Israel...Restoration is coming...sin will be pardoned and they will return to their own land. Destruction, however, awaits Babylon with no promise of restoration or rebuilding. God used Babylon as His instrument of judgment to Judah and now it will experience the Lord's judgment.
Verses 4 and 5 in this chapter of Jeremiah speak to the contrast between how God's people went into captivity...in pride and sin and how they returned. We see them returning with tears of godly sorrow...unlike the worldly tears they shed as they went into captivity. They would now seek after Him and not after idols. Hebrews 12 speaks of this as the peaceable fruit of righteousness.
Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
There is such evil out there today girls...I think of the Philadelphia and the slaughter of innocents for 30 years...I think to the link I just posted where planned parenthood is aiding in the trafficking of young girls for prostitution. Our government is turning a blind eye...we are Babylon. Judgment is coming...evil surrounds us. Where do we find rest...
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Rest in Him...find peace in Him.
You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah --Psalm 32:7
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. --Psalm 91:1
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
Sometimes it is good to stop and remember. Today as I read through Jeremiah 50 and 51 describing the judgment and destruction that God would bring upon Babylon, I stopped short at this verse and remembered where my resting place is. My resting place is in God, my Savior. He is my shelter.
As God speaks judgment against Babylon, He remembers His people. His people who were in Babylon because of their sin of idolatry...their sin of forgetting Him. Here He predicts blessing for them in verses 4-7 and then again in verses 17-34. He will not forsake Israel...Restoration is coming...sin will be pardoned and they will return to their own land. Destruction, however, awaits Babylon with no promise of restoration or rebuilding. God used Babylon as His instrument of judgment to Judah and now it will experience the Lord's judgment.
Verses 4 and 5 in this chapter of Jeremiah speak to the contrast between how God's people went into captivity...in pride and sin and how they returned. We see them returning with tears of godly sorrow...unlike the worldly tears they shed as they went into captivity. They would now seek after Him and not after idols. Hebrews 12 speaks of this as the peaceable fruit of righteousness.
Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
There is such evil out there today girls...I think of the Philadelphia and the slaughter of innocents for 30 years...I think to the link I just posted where planned parenthood is aiding in the trafficking of young girls for prostitution. Our government is turning a blind eye...we are Babylon. Judgment is coming...evil surrounds us. Where do we find rest...
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Rest in Him...find peace in Him.
You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah --Psalm 32:7
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. --Psalm 91:1
Love
Mom
Monday, January 31, 2011
Leaving Your First Love
"Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent"--Revelation 2:4-5
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The book of Revelation was addressed and sent to the seven literal churches that were in Asia. This is the first letter to the first of the seven churches, the church at Ephesus. A letter specifically addressed to the Church of Ephesus from the Lord himself. I am pretty sure they probably sat up and took notice.
The church was off to a good start. He had much to commend them for. He says that He knows their works, their labor, their patience and that they cannot bear those who are evil. He tells them that they have discernment and have kept false doctrine and false teachers out of the church. He commends them for persevering and not growing weary...Then he drops the bomb. The church of Ephesus had a fatal flaw. They had left their first love. They had not lost it...they had left it. Their love had gone cold. They were still doing what they always did, what was expected, the work of the church was being accomplished, but it had all become a duty rather than a "want to" or a "get to". They were still receiving honor and respect from the people around them. They were doing the works that they thought God had called them to do, but it was empty and the Lord said that if they did not repent and do the first works again, He would remove their lampstand. Sadly, that is exactly what happened to this very strong, vibrant church that the Apostle Paul had poured his heart into.
Love is the supreme commandment. The commandment that fulfills all the law and the prophets. The love of God is central. We are to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength. This is the first commandment. We love Him so much that we want to spend time with Him. We love Him so much that we want to obey Him. We love Him so much that we want to serve Him. We love Him so much that we put Him first in our lives above all else. Are you getting the point. Love is not a duty. Anyone who has ever been in love knows this. It is a joy...being with that person and spending time with them becomes our number one desire. The love the church of Ephesus had for Jesus had grown cold. What was left was "going through the motions." He was no longer their consuming passion...God wants to be your consuming passion.
The apostle Paul's letters are filled with this kind of passion for Christ. For Paul to live was Christ and to die gain.
"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." --Philippians 3:7-14
Truly the love of Christ was Paul's driving passion...the motivating force behind all that He did. God wants everything we do to be motivated by our love for Him. The problem in Ephesus was that although they still had the works, labor and patience of the past, their motivation had changed. Love for their Lord was no longer the force behind what they did. 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 says this:
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."
God is love...if it is missing, we are empty vessels that are good for nothing. Ask yourself these questions. Do I love Jesus more now than in the past? Do I desire His presence in my life more now than before? Am I pressing on toward the goal...moving forward with my love for Him as the driving force? If not, Jesus tells us to remember, repent and do the first works.
Remember from where you have fallen. Remember the mire that He pulled you from. Remember how lost you were...how desperate you were. Remember the condition of your heart before your redemption occurred. Then remember the joyful explosion that occurred in your heart at the time of your salvation. Remember the transformation that occurred. Remember how much you have been forgiven. If you cannot remember back to a time when you were not Christian...get on your knees and thank Him. Find someone who does remember...listen to their stories of what their life was like before Christ. Ask them to tell you the story of their transformation.
Next we are to repent. Repent means to go in the other direction and it will look like something in your life when it happens. Confess your sin. Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength is a commandment. Confess the sin of leaving your first love and of allowing your love to grow cold. Confess the sin of doing the outward without the inward heart of love for your Lord.
The last thing is to repeat the first works. What does that mean? If you have ever been in love think back to the first days, weeks, months or years of your love. Think about what you did during that time and do it again. Remember when you carried your bible everywhere...went to church three or four times a week...prayed without ceasing...worshiped Him in song. Go back to the time when God's love for you swept you away. Jesus says remember, repent and do the first work again. He wants to be your consuming passion. Love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Return.
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The book of Revelation was addressed and sent to the seven literal churches that were in Asia. This is the first letter to the first of the seven churches, the church at Ephesus. A letter specifically addressed to the Church of Ephesus from the Lord himself. I am pretty sure they probably sat up and took notice.
The church was off to a good start. He had much to commend them for. He says that He knows their works, their labor, their patience and that they cannot bear those who are evil. He tells them that they have discernment and have kept false doctrine and false teachers out of the church. He commends them for persevering and not growing weary...Then he drops the bomb. The church of Ephesus had a fatal flaw. They had left their first love. They had not lost it...they had left it. Their love had gone cold. They were still doing what they always did, what was expected, the work of the church was being accomplished, but it had all become a duty rather than a "want to" or a "get to". They were still receiving honor and respect from the people around them. They were doing the works that they thought God had called them to do, but it was empty and the Lord said that if they did not repent and do the first works again, He would remove their lampstand. Sadly, that is exactly what happened to this very strong, vibrant church that the Apostle Paul had poured his heart into.
Love is the supreme commandment. The commandment that fulfills all the law and the prophets. The love of God is central. We are to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength. This is the first commandment. We love Him so much that we want to spend time with Him. We love Him so much that we want to obey Him. We love Him so much that we want to serve Him. We love Him so much that we put Him first in our lives above all else. Are you getting the point. Love is not a duty. Anyone who has ever been in love knows this. It is a joy...being with that person and spending time with them becomes our number one desire. The love the church of Ephesus had for Jesus had grown cold. What was left was "going through the motions." He was no longer their consuming passion...God wants to be your consuming passion.
The apostle Paul's letters are filled with this kind of passion for Christ. For Paul to live was Christ and to die gain.
"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." --Philippians 3:7-14
Truly the love of Christ was Paul's driving passion...the motivating force behind all that He did. God wants everything we do to be motivated by our love for Him. The problem in Ephesus was that although they still had the works, labor and patience of the past, their motivation had changed. Love for their Lord was no longer the force behind what they did. 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 says this:
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."
God is love...if it is missing, we are empty vessels that are good for nothing. Ask yourself these questions. Do I love Jesus more now than in the past? Do I desire His presence in my life more now than before? Am I pressing on toward the goal...moving forward with my love for Him as the driving force? If not, Jesus tells us to remember, repent and do the first works.
Remember from where you have fallen. Remember the mire that He pulled you from. Remember how lost you were...how desperate you were. Remember the condition of your heart before your redemption occurred. Then remember the joyful explosion that occurred in your heart at the time of your salvation. Remember the transformation that occurred. Remember how much you have been forgiven. If you cannot remember back to a time when you were not Christian...get on your knees and thank Him. Find someone who does remember...listen to their stories of what their life was like before Christ. Ask them to tell you the story of their transformation.
Next we are to repent. Repent means to go in the other direction and it will look like something in your life when it happens. Confess your sin. Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength is a commandment. Confess the sin of leaving your first love and of allowing your love to grow cold. Confess the sin of doing the outward without the inward heart of love for your Lord.
The last thing is to repeat the first works. What does that mean? If you have ever been in love think back to the first days, weeks, months or years of your love. Think about what you did during that time and do it again. Remember when you carried your bible everywhere...went to church three or four times a week...prayed without ceasing...worshiped Him in song. Go back to the time when God's love for you swept you away. Jesus says remember, repent and do the first work again. He wants to be your consuming passion. Love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Return.
Love
Mom
Saturday, January 29, 2011
On Being at Ease and Settled on Your Dregs
Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has settled on his dregs, And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, Nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, And his scent has not changed. “ Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD,--Jeremiah 48:11-12
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
We have reached Chapter 48 in Jeremiah. Jeremiah had a ministry to the Jewish people for more than 40 years. In chapter one God told him that he would be a prophet to the nations. Chapter 46 begins his "international" ministry where he speaks to the nations around Israel. God is speaking to Moab in Chapter 48.
Here God, speaking through Jeremiah, pronounces plunder and great destruction on Moab. Moab's judgment occurred because of her immense pride. She was powerful, prosperous and had much, but she did not have the Lord. Destruction came without warning and judgment was swift and thorough. Her pride was her undoing. Joy and gladness ceased and God caused the wine to fail from the winepresses. The sound of joy and celebration was no more. In its place was weeping and wailing.
“ We have heard the pride of Moab (He is exceedingly proud), Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride, And of the haughtiness of his heart.” --Jeremiah 48:29
A general lamentation On all the housetops of Moab, And in its streets; For I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the LORD.--Jeremiah 48:38
We are described in the Bible as vessels. Some are for honor and some are for dishonor. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says that Christ dwells in these earthen vessels of ours. We have this treasure (Christ) in our earthen vessels so that the the excellence of the power may be of God and not us.
"Moab had settled in the dregs." What does that mean? On the surface it means that Moab had had a quiet history. They were a settled people. The imagery used is of wine making. In the production of sweet wine, the juice was left in the wineskin until the sediment of dregs were settled on the bottom. Once that occurred it was poured into another skin. If left too long in the same vessel, the dregs that had settled at the bottom would make the wine bitter...so as soon as the dregs settled, the wine was poured into another vessel. Each pouring separated more of the dregs. This continued until the dregs were removed and the pure, sweet wine remained. Moab had never been poured...she had settled into the dregs...bitterness, pride and sin filled her vessel.
Trials pour out the bitterness in our lives until the pure sweetness of the Lord remains. Changes take place in our hearts during our trials. Pride leaves, self-sufficiency leaves and we are on our knees beseeching our God for help and mercy in our time of need. We begin to understand that all our good is of Him and that apart from Him we can do nothing. Our dependence on Him increases and our self-will and self-desires (which you know...are the dregs) are removed. The pouring out process is painful, but the results are a vessel that is useful and can be used to shine the light of Jesus to others.
Jesus' first miracle was to turn water into wine. Wine represents joy. Joy is the first manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit which is love. Jesus loved us so much that He poured out His life for the joy that was set before Him...US!
"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”--Matthew 26:27-28
What joy was wrought through the pouring out of God's Son on the cross. The darkest moment in the history of the world, but through it came the shining beacon of light that brings the hope of eternal life to all men.
When we believe, He begins this work in us and is faithful to complete it. When we allow ourselves to be poured out in surrender to Him, our lives become a source of light and refreshment for those around us.. He takes us from suffering to suffering so that our bitter dregs are removed and the pure sweet wine of Jesus remains.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.--2 Timothy 2:20-21
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.--Romans 8:18
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.--2nd Corinthians 4:7
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
We have reached Chapter 48 in Jeremiah. Jeremiah had a ministry to the Jewish people for more than 40 years. In chapter one God told him that he would be a prophet to the nations. Chapter 46 begins his "international" ministry where he speaks to the nations around Israel. God is speaking to Moab in Chapter 48.
Here God, speaking through Jeremiah, pronounces plunder and great destruction on Moab. Moab's judgment occurred because of her immense pride. She was powerful, prosperous and had much, but she did not have the Lord. Destruction came without warning and judgment was swift and thorough. Her pride was her undoing. Joy and gladness ceased and God caused the wine to fail from the winepresses. The sound of joy and celebration was no more. In its place was weeping and wailing.
“ We have heard the pride of Moab (He is exceedingly proud), Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride, And of the haughtiness of his heart.” --Jeremiah 48:29
A general lamentation On all the housetops of Moab, And in its streets; For I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the LORD.--Jeremiah 48:38
We are described in the Bible as vessels. Some are for honor and some are for dishonor. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says that Christ dwells in these earthen vessels of ours. We have this treasure (Christ) in our earthen vessels so that the the excellence of the power may be of God and not us.
"Moab had settled in the dregs." What does that mean? On the surface it means that Moab had had a quiet history. They were a settled people. The imagery used is of wine making. In the production of sweet wine, the juice was left in the wineskin until the sediment of dregs were settled on the bottom. Once that occurred it was poured into another skin. If left too long in the same vessel, the dregs that had settled at the bottom would make the wine bitter...so as soon as the dregs settled, the wine was poured into another vessel. Each pouring separated more of the dregs. This continued until the dregs were removed and the pure, sweet wine remained. Moab had never been poured...she had settled into the dregs...bitterness, pride and sin filled her vessel.
Trials pour out the bitterness in our lives until the pure sweetness of the Lord remains. Changes take place in our hearts during our trials. Pride leaves, self-sufficiency leaves and we are on our knees beseeching our God for help and mercy in our time of need. We begin to understand that all our good is of Him and that apart from Him we can do nothing. Our dependence on Him increases and our self-will and self-desires (which you know...are the dregs) are removed. The pouring out process is painful, but the results are a vessel that is useful and can be used to shine the light of Jesus to others.
Jesus' first miracle was to turn water into wine. Wine represents joy. Joy is the first manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit which is love. Jesus loved us so much that He poured out His life for the joy that was set before Him...US!
"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”--Matthew 26:27-28
What joy was wrought through the pouring out of God's Son on the cross. The darkest moment in the history of the world, but through it came the shining beacon of light that brings the hope of eternal life to all men.
When we believe, He begins this work in us and is faithful to complete it. When we allow ourselves to be poured out in surrender to Him, our lives become a source of light and refreshment for those around us.. He takes us from suffering to suffering so that our bitter dregs are removed and the pure sweet wine of Jesus remains.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.--2 Timothy 2:20-21
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.--Romans 8:18
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.--2nd Corinthians 4:7
Love
Mom
Friday, January 28, 2011
Woe is Me Now!
The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the instruction of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: ‘You said, “Woe is me now! For the LORD has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.”’
“Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the LORD. “But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.”’”---Jeremiah 45
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
I think this is my favorite chapter in Jeremiah! The results are not up to us...they are up to God. Expect nothing and you will not be disappointed. Do not seek great things for yourself...just obey God. I am not in control....These are such good things for me to remember. My job is just to be obedient...whatever happens as a result is up to Him.
My hope is to be set fully in Christ and I am to expect nothing here on earth but opposition, trial and trouble. I am not to seek great things for me. I am to commit myself to my God in such a way that He is magnified. He must increase, I must decrease. To live should be Christ and to die gain. Baruch was looking for glory here and that is always fleeting, unsatisfying and leaves us wanting more.
Baruch worked as Jeremiah's scribe and was threatened for this by the king. (See Jeremiah 36) Baruch was hoping for great things to come to him because of his service to God He set his hope in the wrong place and was disappointed and grieved that things weren't working out according to his plan. He forgot that God was sovereign and works things toward His purposes and not ours. Setting your expectations high in this world only increases your frustration and make whatever trials that come more difficult to handle. Surrender it all to Him. God is the source of true contentment. If the Lord is our Shepherd, we have everything we need. Don't seek things for yourself...be content with what the Lord has given you. Serve Him knowing that your sufficiency comes from Him.
Humility of mind is what is needed to live like this. Imitate Christ who humbled and subjected Himself completely to the will of His Father in Heaven. That is how it is done. Lowliness of mind esteems the other as more important. Lowliness of mind keeps us from our own wrong desires and settles our mind on what He desires. Eyes off of ourselves and what we are doing for God or what we are not getting and onto Him and the privilege we have in serving Him.
Humility protects...lowliness of mind preserves. How? When I am humble, I am not self seeking...I am looking to live for Him and His glory. His perfect will then covers me. I am under his umbrella of protection so to speak. If I have done what my Lord has called me to do and fulfilled all His desires, than despite how it looks from an earthly perspective, I have led a successful life.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep. (Psalm 127: 1-2)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).
Love
Mom
“Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the LORD. “But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.”’”---Jeremiah 45
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
I think this is my favorite chapter in Jeremiah! The results are not up to us...they are up to God. Expect nothing and you will not be disappointed. Do not seek great things for yourself...just obey God. I am not in control....These are such good things for me to remember. My job is just to be obedient...whatever happens as a result is up to Him.
My hope is to be set fully in Christ and I am to expect nothing here on earth but opposition, trial and trouble. I am not to seek great things for me. I am to commit myself to my God in such a way that He is magnified. He must increase, I must decrease. To live should be Christ and to die gain. Baruch was looking for glory here and that is always fleeting, unsatisfying and leaves us wanting more.
Baruch worked as Jeremiah's scribe and was threatened for this by the king. (See Jeremiah 36) Baruch was hoping for great things to come to him because of his service to God He set his hope in the wrong place and was disappointed and grieved that things weren't working out according to his plan. He forgot that God was sovereign and works things toward His purposes and not ours. Setting your expectations high in this world only increases your frustration and make whatever trials that come more difficult to handle. Surrender it all to Him. God is the source of true contentment. If the Lord is our Shepherd, we have everything we need. Don't seek things for yourself...be content with what the Lord has given you. Serve Him knowing that your sufficiency comes from Him.
Humility of mind is what is needed to live like this. Imitate Christ who humbled and subjected Himself completely to the will of His Father in Heaven. That is how it is done. Lowliness of mind esteems the other as more important. Lowliness of mind keeps us from our own wrong desires and settles our mind on what He desires. Eyes off of ourselves and what we are doing for God or what we are not getting and onto Him and the privilege we have in serving Him.
Humility protects...lowliness of mind preserves. How? When I am humble, I am not self seeking...I am looking to live for Him and His glory. His perfect will then covers me. I am under his umbrella of protection so to speak. If I have done what my Lord has called me to do and fulfilled all His desires, than despite how it looks from an earthly perspective, I have led a successful life.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep. (Psalm 127: 1-2)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).
Love
Mom
Inexcusable O Man, Whoever You Are Who Judge
Paul continues his message to the Roman believers by completely knocking down any delusions of self-sufficiency or self-righteousness. In Christ, there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, slave nor free; we are all one in Christ Jes...us. There is no partiality with God (vs. 11) and He renders to each one according to his deeds (vs. 6). A frequent source of friction in the early church (and the source of much denunciation from non-believing Jews) was the active inclusion of Gentiles into the body of Christ. For a righteous Jew, Gentiles as a whole were unclean, depraved, and generally considered to be given over to the “debased mind” Paul described in the previous chapter. They would have been smirking their approval when Paul suddenly flipped the tables around with a stunning rebuke in the first verse of chapter two: “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”
Jew and Gentile, Paul argued, are both equally guilty in the sight of the holy God. How could the Jews claim superior righteousness when they, who had the Law, had never perfectly kept it? Only one human has ever met God’s standard: Jesus Christ. So who were the real people of God and keepers of the law – the ones who bore the outward sign of circumcision and yet were inwardly unclean and depraved, or the ones who may or may not have borne the outward signs, yet whose hearts had been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ and who possessed the transforming Spirit of the Living God?
The Lord is not a respecter of persons. He could care less about your pedigree, your resume, your references, or your worldly assets and successes. He could care less about your excuses, self-justifications, or so-called righteousness. All those things make no difference to Him. Likewise, your failures, your sinful past, and your utter depravity are also irrelevant. There is only one choice that matters, one choice that can either condemn you or save you: your choice about Jesus. Accept Him personally as your Lord and Savior, and you are immutably His child forever; reject Him, and you will spend eternity suffering the consequences.
“But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignatio
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done, or what your heritage might be or what blood flows through your veins. You might be considered the most respectable person on planet Earth, but if you do not have Christ, you are still guilty. You might be the most monstrous criminal on planet Earth, but if you have Christ, He will present you spotless before His Father in heaven. It’s not about who we are or what we can do; it’s about who the Lord is and what He has done. Jesus paid my debt and has imputed His righteousness to my account. And His Spirit works in me, I’m changing. He gives me fruit. He’s put His law on my heart. He gives me the grace and the desire to do His will. Each day He conforms me more into the image of His Son, and I know, with absolute certainty, that none of the credit belongs to me. It’s all Him, His power, His Spirit, and His grace. And it’s all there for the asking. Give Him your heart, and He will do something with it that is exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think.
1 John 3:1-2, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
Jew and Gentile, Paul argued, are both equally guilty in the sight of the holy God. How could the Jews claim superior righteousness when they, who had the Law, had never perfectly kept it? Only one human has ever met God’s standard: Jesus Christ. So who were the real people of God and keepers of the law – the ones who bore the outward sign of circumcision and yet were inwardly unclean and depraved, or the ones who may or may not have borne the outward signs, yet whose hearts had been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ and who possessed the transforming Spirit of the Living God?
The Lord is not a respecter of persons. He could care less about your pedigree, your resume, your references, or your worldly assets and successes. He could care less about your excuses, self-justifications, or so-called righteousness. All those things make no difference to Him. Likewise, your failures, your sinful past, and your utter depravity are also irrelevant. There is only one choice that matters, one choice that can either condemn you or save you: your choice about Jesus. Accept Him personally as your Lord and Savior, and you are immutably His child forever; reject Him, and you will spend eternity suffering the consequences.
“But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignatio
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done, or what your heritage might be or what blood flows through your veins. You might be considered the most respectable person on planet Earth, but if you do not have Christ, you are still guilty. You might be the most monstrous criminal on planet Earth, but if you have Christ, He will present you spotless before His Father in heaven. It’s not about who we are or what we can do; it’s about who the Lord is and what He has done. Jesus paid my debt and has imputed His righteousness to my account. And His Spirit works in me, I’m changing. He gives me fruit. He’s put His law on my heart. He gives me the grace and the desire to do His will. Each day He conforms me more into the image of His Son, and I know, with absolute certainty, that none of the credit belongs to me. It’s all Him, His power, His Spirit, and His grace. And it’s all there for the asking. Give Him your heart, and He will do something with it that is exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think.
1 John 3:1-2, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
Thursday, January 27, 2011
God's Hand of Mercy Outstretched Still...
“As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you! But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth--Jeremiah 44:16
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
That is quite a statement of self will. Here is another one from chapter 6.
Thus says the LORD: “ Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘ Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ (emphasis mine)
Jeremiah preached to the people of Judah for over 40 years. He spent all of those years speaking the Word of the Lord to them and was blatantly ignored. They saw his prophecies come true but it did not matter...they did what was right in their own eyes. They followed their own ways. Judgment came. Jeremiah spoke to the nation...God speaks to nations and judges nations, but He also speaks to each individual.
Throughout the Book of Jeremiah what has struck me the most is our Lord's faithfulness, long suffering and mercy toward His people. Judah had rejected the word of the Lord, worshiped idols and believed the false prophets. They had walked very far from from the "old paths" where they would find rest for their souls. And yet, God pleads with His beloved people relentlessly throughout the book to come back to Him. It is such a beautiful picture to me as a mom. God warns His children to the very end...He never gives up. He so does not want them to suffer and face judgment. He yearns for them jealously and wants them with Him. When judgment does come, however, the people had no one to blame but themselves. How grieving it is when our children do not hear and go the wrong way. How difficult it is to watch knowing that trouble is ahead for them.
So many of us follow wrong paths for years...doing what is right in our own eyes and ignoring all that God does to get our attention. We become established in our own path and very practiced with sin. I look back to my own 34 year path of destruction and am amazed that despite my depravity and sin, my God was there pulling at me gently with His cords of love. I see His hand protecting me and hedging me...not willing that I should perish. He wanted me for Himself. His hand of mercy and love was always extended and it was His goodness that led me to repentance. The Lord invites us to come to Him and be washed in His love and sheltered from the storms. He wants to lavish His love on us and bless us. He loves us so much and died for us when we were still His enemies. He wants all of us to come to life in His Son. Truly His faithfulness reaches to the heavens.
Chuck Smith says something about God's faithfulness. I will end with it.
"It is tough, really tough to go to hell. You will have to work at it. You will have to fight God every step of the way. He will put every kind of roadblock in your path. If you are tough and stubborn and stupid, you can make it. But, right up to the end, God is faithful. Oh the lovingkindness of God! the goodness of God! The faithfulness of God to us!"
Truly many of us are like foolish children who do not listen and when we arrive at our final destination we will be without excuse. This verse from Zephaniah I have claimed for my grandchildren...it is how I picture the lovingkindness of my God.
The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”--Zephaniah 3:17
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
That is quite a statement of self will. Here is another one from chapter 6.
Thus says the LORD: “ Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘ Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ (emphasis mine)
Jeremiah preached to the people of Judah for over 40 years. He spent all of those years speaking the Word of the Lord to them and was blatantly ignored. They saw his prophecies come true but it did not matter...they did what was right in their own eyes. They followed their own ways. Judgment came. Jeremiah spoke to the nation...God speaks to nations and judges nations, but He also speaks to each individual.
Throughout the Book of Jeremiah what has struck me the most is our Lord's faithfulness, long suffering and mercy toward His people. Judah had rejected the word of the Lord, worshiped idols and believed the false prophets. They had walked very far from from the "old paths" where they would find rest for their souls. And yet, God pleads with His beloved people relentlessly throughout the book to come back to Him. It is such a beautiful picture to me as a mom. God warns His children to the very end...He never gives up. He so does not want them to suffer and face judgment. He yearns for them jealously and wants them with Him. When judgment does come, however, the people had no one to blame but themselves. How grieving it is when our children do not hear and go the wrong way. How difficult it is to watch knowing that trouble is ahead for them.
So many of us follow wrong paths for years...doing what is right in our own eyes and ignoring all that God does to get our attention. We become established in our own path and very practiced with sin. I look back to my own 34 year path of destruction and am amazed that despite my depravity and sin, my God was there pulling at me gently with His cords of love. I see His hand protecting me and hedging me...not willing that I should perish. He wanted me for Himself. His hand of mercy and love was always extended and it was His goodness that led me to repentance. The Lord invites us to come to Him and be washed in His love and sheltered from the storms. He wants to lavish His love on us and bless us. He loves us so much and died for us when we were still His enemies. He wants all of us to come to life in His Son. Truly His faithfulness reaches to the heavens.
Chuck Smith says something about God's faithfulness. I will end with it.
"It is tough, really tough to go to hell. You will have to work at it. You will have to fight God every step of the way. He will put every kind of roadblock in your path. If you are tough and stubborn and stupid, you can make it. But, right up to the end, God is faithful. Oh the lovingkindness of God! the goodness of God! The faithfulness of God to us!"
Truly many of us are like foolish children who do not listen and when we arrive at our final destination we will be without excuse. This verse from Zephaniah I have claimed for my grandchildren...it is how I picture the lovingkindness of my God.
The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”--Zephaniah 3:17
Love
Mom
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
You Can't Run or Hide...
"So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the LORD. And they went as far as Tahpanhes. Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, “Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes; and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword."---Jeremiah 43:7-11
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
People run from marriages, neighborhoods, churches, schools and social settings, because they think these are what is causing their unhappiness and discontented spirit. The people of Judah ran to Egypt despite Jeremiah's warnings to stay put and trust in God's love and care for them. Their impulse was to flee from the problem and in fleeing they thought they could outrun it. We have all done this...we change the backdrops of our lives in hopes that we will then find the peace we are seeking for our hearts. Some of us live our lives this way.
Running away from a problem or a situation does not work...in fact it usually causes more problems. The problem in your life is not the backdrops or the people God has placed on your particular stage. The problem is your heart. You bring yourself wherever you go. You can't run or hide because you can't run from who you are. What these people needed was a new heart. It didn't matter where they went. In fact the Lord told them clearly that by running to Egypt they would meet with the very same man they were fleeing. He would find them in Egypt. Many of us think if I just did this it would be better or if I moved here things would work out or if I had a different husband...the list is endless. The reality is, however, that things will only work out if God is at the center of your life and on the throne of your heart. You bring who you are with you where ever you run...
Love
Mom
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Jeremiah 33:3 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
People run from marriages, neighborhoods, churches, schools and social settings, because they think these are what is causing their unhappiness and discontented spirit. The people of Judah ran to Egypt despite Jeremiah's warnings to stay put and trust in God's love and care for them. Their impulse was to flee from the problem and in fleeing they thought they could outrun it. We have all done this...we change the backdrops of our lives in hopes that we will then find the peace we are seeking for our hearts. Some of us live our lives this way.
Running away from a problem or a situation does not work...in fact it usually causes more problems. The problem in your life is not the backdrops or the people God has placed on your particular stage. The problem is your heart. You bring yourself wherever you go. You can't run or hide because you can't run from who you are. What these people needed was a new heart. It didn't matter where they went. In fact the Lord told them clearly that by running to Egypt they would meet with the very same man they were fleeing. He would find them in Egypt. Many of us think if I just did this it would be better or if I moved here things would work out or if I had a different husband...the list is endless. The reality is, however, that things will only work out if God is at the center of your life and on the throne of your heart. You bring who you are with you where ever you run...
Love
Mom
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Jeremiah 33:3 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'
God's Heart for Us
“The LORD has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have admonished you this day. For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, or anything which He has sent you by me. Now therefore, know certainly that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell.”--Jeremiah 42:
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
All the people came to Jeremiah to ask him to pray to the Lord for them that the He would show them the way in which they should walk and the thing that they should do. Jeremiah said he would and the people promised to obey no matter what the Lord's answer was. After 10 days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah and His answer to the people was that they were to stay put and not to flee to Egypt. If they stayed, God would deliver them and prosper them. If they fled to Egypt, they would meet with there, all that they feared in Judah. Disaster would come upon them. Now it seems from reading verse 20 that the people had already determined what they were going to do.
For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.
The word used in the King James for hypocrites in your hearts is "dissemble" and means to deceive. How foolish when people ask for God's guidance but have no intention of following it. Perhaps they want to try to get God on their side or maybe they want to look good by outwardly doing the right thing. All such profession is vain and hypocritical. Better not to pray at all.
God knows our hearts. The Bible tells us that to obey is better than sacrifice. Our Lord discerns our empty words. He is not mocked. Our God will suffer long because that is who He is, but make no mistake: if you do not turn, judgment will come. No one escapes His hand. Much is said about the Lord's mercy, His longsuffering, and His kindness in the Bible, but as my pastor said last week, "Do not mistake the Lord's longsuffering for indifference." Judgment will come. Yes, He is merciful. Yes, He relents from doing harm when we repent and turn, but if we do not, the time of judgment does and will come.
Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever! --Deuteronomy 5:29
That is God's heart for us. He wants our hearts to be completely His. When this is the case, He knows it will be well with us forever. As a mom I can so understand those words. I want it to be well with my children forever. I want them to walk with their God in truth. I know that the best life they can live is one lived in the will of God. One lived for Him. There is no better or safer place. The language of the original is emphatic: "Mee yittain wehayah levavom zeh lahem", literally, "Who will give that there may be such a heart in them?" They refuse to receive such a heart from me, who then can supply it?
No truer words were ever spoken. A changed heart is a miracle from God. We must be willing to receive it. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem knowing the fate it would suffer a short 70 years after His crucifixion. He wanted to gather His children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but they were not willing!
Jeremiah's heart, like Jesus', was for it to be well with his countrymen. He too wept for the hardness of their hearts. He preached and spoke all the words of God for over 40 years to them. The people refused to hear. They did not want to obey. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should have life in His name. John 5:40 says this: "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." God gave the people of Judah opportunity after opportunity to obey Him. They heard but did not heed. Judgment came.
Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."--Luke 8:18
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
All the people came to Jeremiah to ask him to pray to the Lord for them that the He would show them the way in which they should walk and the thing that they should do. Jeremiah said he would and the people promised to obey no matter what the Lord's answer was. After 10 days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah and His answer to the people was that they were to stay put and not to flee to Egypt. If they stayed, God would deliver them and prosper them. If they fled to Egypt, they would meet with there, all that they feared in Judah. Disaster would come upon them. Now it seems from reading verse 20 that the people had already determined what they were going to do.
For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.
The word used in the King James for hypocrites in your hearts is "dissemble" and means to deceive. How foolish when people ask for God's guidance but have no intention of following it. Perhaps they want to try to get God on their side or maybe they want to look good by outwardly doing the right thing. All such profession is vain and hypocritical. Better not to pray at all.
God knows our hearts. The Bible tells us that to obey is better than sacrifice. Our Lord discerns our empty words. He is not mocked. Our God will suffer long because that is who He is, but make no mistake: if you do not turn, judgment will come. No one escapes His hand. Much is said about the Lord's mercy, His longsuffering, and His kindness in the Bible, but as my pastor said last week, "Do not mistake the Lord's longsuffering for indifference." Judgment will come. Yes, He is merciful. Yes, He relents from doing harm when we repent and turn, but if we do not, the time of judgment does and will come.
Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever! --Deuteronomy 5:29
That is God's heart for us. He wants our hearts to be completely His. When this is the case, He knows it will be well with us forever. As a mom I can so understand those words. I want it to be well with my children forever. I want them to walk with their God in truth. I know that the best life they can live is one lived in the will of God. One lived for Him. There is no better or safer place. The language of the original is emphatic: "Mee yittain wehayah levavom zeh lahem", literally, "Who will give that there may be such a heart in them?" They refuse to receive such a heart from me, who then can supply it?
No truer words were ever spoken. A changed heart is a miracle from God. We must be willing to receive it. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem knowing the fate it would suffer a short 70 years after His crucifixion. He wanted to gather His children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but they were not willing!
Jeremiah's heart, like Jesus', was for it to be well with his countrymen. He too wept for the hardness of their hearts. He preached and spoke all the words of God for over 40 years to them. The people refused to hear. They did not want to obey. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should have life in His name. John 5:40 says this: "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." God gave the people of Judah opportunity after opportunity to obey Him. They heard but did not heed. Judgment came.
Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."--Luke 8:18
Love
Mom
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
C. S. Lewis on the Giving of Yourself to God
"Give me all of you!!! I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I don’t want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self---in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart."
—C. S Lewis Mere Christianity
Monday, January 24, 2011
Submission to Government
Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.--1 Peter 2:13-17
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The previous two verses of 1 Peter chapter 2 speak of living before the world in a way in which unbelievers will see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. This next section (through vs 25) addresses a believer's submission to government, to masters and wives to husbands. Further on in Chapter 5, Peter addresses a younger believer's submission to elders. He gives specific instructions to each one but the bottom line is if we are submitting to our Lord Jesus Christ and serving Him in love, we are fulfilling the law and will as much as depends on us put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. The best answer to persecution and accusation of wrong doing from unbelievers is to live a life blameless before them....to be not of the world but to be a good citizen who is above reproach submitting to our government as unto the Lord. We are to do this "for the Lord's sake"—so that His gospel and His people will be respected. If we are to be persecuted, it should be for obeying God, not for breaking moral or civil laws. (Romans 13:1-7, Matthew 22:21)
The verse that spoke to my heart was this one:
"For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God."
Whenever, I see "for this is the will of God" I sit up and pay attention. My behavior should be above reproach for my Lord's sake. It is about Him. The bottom line of this life for each and every one of us is what we do with Jesus. Do we believe and accept His free gift to us or do we reject it. Jesus came so that we might have life in His name. Whatever else we might think is important is not in light of Jesus. We need to become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation so that we can shine His light to a lost and dying world.
A transformed life dedicated to Him is a supreme witness in this world. We are His hands, feet and mouth here and are to share His good news with as many as we can. Our lights become dim, however, when our own fleshly desires get in the way. That is why we are not to use our liberty in Christ as a cloak for vice but as bond servants of God. Galatians 5:13 says this:
"For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."
The key to that verse is but through love serve one another. The kind of love that links us to Jesus is the love that sacrifices. The love that does not seek its own. The love that puts the other first. Jesus when He walked on this earth did nothing from selfish ambition or conceit. He esteemed us as the joy that was set before Him and endured the suffering, humiliation and death of the cross so that we could have the opportunity to believe and be delivered into His kingdom of Light. He was despised and rejected by men...He was despised and we did not esteem Him. Jesus came not to seek His own will but the will of Him who sent Him....His Father in Heaven. We are to imitate Jesus who submitted to His Father in heaven in everything and in humility served us and made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men, humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Serve one another in love...love fulfills the law.
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The previous two verses of 1 Peter chapter 2 speak of living before the world in a way in which unbelievers will see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. This next section (through vs 25) addresses a believer's submission to government, to masters and wives to husbands. Further on in Chapter 5, Peter addresses a younger believer's submission to elders. He gives specific instructions to each one but the bottom line is if we are submitting to our Lord Jesus Christ and serving Him in love, we are fulfilling the law and will as much as depends on us put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. The best answer to persecution and accusation of wrong doing from unbelievers is to live a life blameless before them....to be not of the world but to be a good citizen who is above reproach submitting to our government as unto the Lord. We are to do this "for the Lord's sake"—so that His gospel and His people will be respected. If we are to be persecuted, it should be for obeying God, not for breaking moral or civil laws. (Romans 13:1-7, Matthew 22:21)
The verse that spoke to my heart was this one:
"For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God."
Whenever, I see "for this is the will of God" I sit up and pay attention. My behavior should be above reproach for my Lord's sake. It is about Him. The bottom line of this life for each and every one of us is what we do with Jesus. Do we believe and accept His free gift to us or do we reject it. Jesus came so that we might have life in His name. Whatever else we might think is important is not in light of Jesus. We need to become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation so that we can shine His light to a lost and dying world.
A transformed life dedicated to Him is a supreme witness in this world. We are His hands, feet and mouth here and are to share His good news with as many as we can. Our lights become dim, however, when our own fleshly desires get in the way. That is why we are not to use our liberty in Christ as a cloak for vice but as bond servants of God. Galatians 5:13 says this:
"For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."
The key to that verse is but through love serve one another. The kind of love that links us to Jesus is the love that sacrifices. The love that does not seek its own. The love that puts the other first. Jesus when He walked on this earth did nothing from selfish ambition or conceit. He esteemed us as the joy that was set before Him and endured the suffering, humiliation and death of the cross so that we could have the opportunity to believe and be delivered into His kingdom of Light. He was despised and rejected by men...He was despised and we did not esteem Him. Jesus came not to seek His own will but the will of Him who sent Him....His Father in Heaven. We are to imitate Jesus who submitted to His Father in heaven in everything and in humility served us and made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men, humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Serve one another in love...love fulfills the law.
Love
Mom
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