The old saying goes something like…Loose lips sink ships. Integrity, honesty, and good moral character are foundational traits for a good reputation. How people view our position and standing demonstrates who we are as a person. A good reputation is easy to lose and very hard to get back.
Month: May 2016
Galatians 4: 7 ” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”
You are a child of God. You are loved and cherished as a precious son or daughter. And with that comes the right to be an heir, and joint heir with Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 59: 1-2 ” Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear.”
Sin separates us from God…for God can not look upon it. It’s not that the Lord can’t help, it’s because He won’t. For in John 9:31 it says, ” We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will.”
Hebrews 2:18 ” Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”
The temptations of Satan attempt to entangle us in sin to show that good or evil…weakness or strength exists within. It is not a sin to be tempted…rather, it’s the decision we make with the temptation that matters. For it says in Hebrews 4:15, “Jesus was tempted in every way – yet was without sin.”
Romans 1: 11-12 ” I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each others faith.”
When you and another Believer meet, you have much more in common than you think, even if it’s a chance meeting in the grocery store. You share the mutual faith in Jesus Christ and are both part of the community of Believers. So your interaction now becomes inspired, giving hope and confidence to one another, and boosting each others faith.
II Kings 4:2 ” Elisha replied to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’ “
A desperate, grieving widow of a fellow prophet came to Elisha beseeching him to help her before the creditors took her two boys away to satisfy her debts. But instead of offering help, Elisha turned the question back on her. What do you have in your house…what do you have within yourself? The Lord has already placed within us everything we’ll ever need to be victorious over any situation. Elisha wanted the widow to realize the wealth and power she already possessed.
Matthew 16: 22-23 ” Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ‘Never Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to You!’ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’ “
Jesus had just been explaining to His disciples that He would go to Jerusalem…be killed…and then rise on the third day. But the disciples were having a difficult time putting their heads around such an event, when suddenly Peter audaciously pulled Jesus aside and said, “God forbid!” How many times do we want to set God right, but our own worldly view of divine workings is so askew that we’re bordering on blasphemy ourselves?
Joshua 24: 15 “…then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
A simple statement, but with very profound and eternal consequences within it. Has your family made such a commitment to serve God? Have you consciously made a covenant with the Lord to worship Him, and Him only? Then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.
II Samuel 22: 2-4 ” The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior – from violent men You have saved me. I will call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.”
The Lord is my stability in an uncertain and constantly wavering world. He is my safe refuge where I am able to retreat, rest, and rebuild my shattered hopes and dreams. The Lord is my advocate and protector when I cry out for mercy. The Lord is my Lord.
Job 12:12 ” Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? “
Wisdom and the very ability to obtain it is from God. And the legacy of living a long life dedicated to the Lord is the very personification of that Godly wisdom itself.