Our Christianity hinges on one little word…faith. We believe what we can not see. We put our trust in someone we’ve never physically met. We have confidence that when we die we’ll have eternal life. Our spiritual walk from beginning to end is entirely based on assurances we’ve read in an ancient book. Yes, Christians are a curious lot…a group of people who stand on faith alone and live by it daily.
Month: August 2016
Psalm 36: 1-2 ” An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.”
The wicked willfully rebel and oppose the Lord. There is no reverence or even acknowledgment of God in their life. In their eyes, they are a self-made person that needs no other one or thing to make it. In their mind, whatever devious methods it takes to make it to the top, or whoever they must crush in the process, is fair game. Winning is everything in their life…but in the end, sadly they will lose.
Colossians 2: 6-7 ” So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
There comes a time in all Believer’s lives when one has to take a stand. Our journey with Christ Jesus has taught us much… inspiring, edifying, rooting and establishing us in His truth. So now we stand at a crossroads in our life. Do we compromise everything we’ve learned, or stand firm in our faith? Do we give in to the crowd, or be that “weird Jesus lover”? The decision is hard but yet an easy one to make if you’ve already been firmly rooted and established in Christ.
I Corinthians 1:5 ” For in Him you have been enriched in every way – in all your speaking and in all your knowledge.”
Take a moment to remember yourself as a brand new Christian…now look at yourself today. From the beginning, the Lord has been pouring into you divine revelation and understanding. He’s been improving, refining, and endowing you in all aspects in order that you might fight the good fight. And today you stand, having been built up in Christ…strong, and full of Godly wisdom.
II Kings 6:5 ” As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. ‘Oh, my Lord,’ he cried out, ‘it was borrowed!’ “
This story is about the Company of Prophets and Elisha. Their meeting place had become too small, so they were in the process of building themselves something larger. As they were cutting down trees, an axe head flew off and landed in the Jordan River, sinking immediately. The distraught prophet cried out to Elisha, who threw a stick into the water where the axe head had sunk , causing the iron to float. This can only remind us that nothing is impossible with God…if He can make a hunk of iron float like a leaf…He can work a miracle in our lives today.
I John 4:16 ” God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”
God is love. The agape kind of unconditional love that says regardless of how many times I mess up, He’ll still love me. The agape kind of love that caused God to send His only Son to earth to die in my place for my sins. The agape kind of love, that if the Holy Spirit is in me, I will emulate it also.
Job 12:13 ” To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His.”
Elsewhere in Job it says, “His wisdom is profound, His power is vast.” (Job 9:4) God is the very personification of wisdom…He is the source of all understanding and ability. In Him is all power, might and strength. Who is greater than our God?
Romans 15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.”
As we grow in our Christian faith, things that tempted us early on no longer entice us… for we have grown in wisdom and godliness. So when you see a new Christian struggling, remember where you were as a baby Christian, and as I Thess. 5:14 says, “Help the weak, be patient with everyone.” God brought them to you to encourage not to condemn.
Proverbs 28:5 ” Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.”
The world has a hard time distinguishing between right and wrong, especially when wrong seems to be glamorized in all forms of entertainment. Discerning between good and evil should be a simple thing. But it takes a heart that’s filled with fairness, honor and integrity that can fully differentiate between the two.
Revelation 3:19 ” Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”
House Rules…if you have children, you probably maintained order under your roof with these. With House Rules in place, you could admonish, educate, and guide your children in the right way…not as a tyrant, but as a loving parent wanting only the best for your kids. Our Heavenly Father wants only the very best for us…and sometimes He needs to use the same tactics. But if we sincerely and seriously undergo a moral reorientation of our soul ,acknowledging the error of our ways…and turn to God – those House Rules will suddenly make total sense.