It’s the age-old story of mankind’s rebellion against God. The Lord appoints prophets to bring His Word of obedience and warning…signaling man’s need to take immediate and dramatic action or pay the price. But what do we usually do? We don’t heed His Word, for we want to have our own way. Our evil hearts ever full of stubbornness and defiance when God says, “Obey Me.” We hear the trumpet, but choose to ignore it out of spite.
Month: January 2017
John 2: 25 ” He did not need man’s testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.”
We seldom do something for others totally out of unselfish motives…for usually we have some hidden agenda, whether good or bad. We’ll do some kind gesture, with the inner thought of, “what’s in this for me?” Or we’ll go out of our way for someone, hoping others will see our sacrifice and praise us for all our hard work. The Lord knows our thoughts and examines our hearts and will immediately show us when our motivation is wrong. For God can bear witness to what lies within all humans…every self-seeking, egocentric, greedy fiber and part.
Psalm 20:7 ” Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
Take a moment to reflect on what exactly you put your trust in. Is it modern technology and the digital age? Or are you putting trust in the Stock Market and future commodities? Or maybe your trust lies in simpler things you hoard away. You need to remember, nothing here on earth can be trusted…for we all live in an imperfect world filled with imperfect people. But there is One that you can trust without reservation…His name is the Lord our God.
I Corinthians 15:42-44 ” So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown in a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. “
We all will face death some day. Our fleeting life will succumb with our last breath…our earthly body will become an empty shell of what we once were. But what is buried to decay, will be raised immortal…what goes down in shame, will come up in honor, authority, and holiness.
Joshua 1:6-7 ” Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous…”
In this scripture, God is commanding Joshua to lead the Children of Israel into the Promised Land. To the human mind this was an almost impossible undertaking…moving a vast sea of humanity from point A to point B. But the Lord is girding up Joshua’s loins so to speak by commanding him to be brave and fearless…to look beyond what he saw to what God envisioned for them. The Lord may have a scary scenario coming up this year for you…when He calls, will you step out with the same determination and boldness as Joshua did, or allow the fear of impossibility to take over?
Matthew 8:20 ” Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head. “
Yes, in a sense, Jesus was homeless. He and the Disciples traveled unhindered by the obligation and responsibilities of traditional homes. But Jesus pointed out in this scripture… He was to be in the world, but not of it. And like Jesus, we too are aliens and strangers on this earth. (I Peter 2:11) We are ever looking forward to our eternal home…our everlasting dwelling place with the Lord in heaven.
Judges 14: 1-2 ” Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. When he returned, he said to his father and mother, ‘I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.’ “
Samson’s parents were childless, until an Angel of the Lord appeared and told them they’d be having a son – a son set apart to God from birth. So how do you raise such a “special” child? Do you spoil and pamper… enable and compromise your better judgment that they can be indulged? Samson’s parents knew that mixed marriages were forbidden…but they still chose to coddle him…and by Samson’s demands, he was obviously used to getting his way. In the end, Samson showed he was lacking in sensual control and wisdom, while his parents showed they lacked the tough love to stand up against him.
Romans 8:35-37 ” Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors.”
No matter what the world throws at you this coming year…remember that with the Lord you can overcome it. Whether it be troubles pressing down upon you from the outside, or anguish that comes from within…you can rise above them all with His help. Don’t try to make it on your own…God is there, ready to take those burdens. And in the end, you’ll rise victorious over all the pain and suffering.
Isaiah 66:23 ” ‘From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before Me,’ says the Lord.”
We take it for granted that the days…weeks…months…years will pass before us. We just assume that the Seasons will follow each other. But are we just as indifferent about the Lord? Do we just assume that He’s always there…whether we need Him or not. It says in Revelation 15:4, “that all Nations will come and worship before You.” There is coming a day when the whole human race will bow in submission and acknowledgement of the Lord. We will no longer be able to take things for granted, or assume the status quo will continue unheeded…for it will be the dawning of a new day, and we will be forced out of our stupor into the truth of His light.
Safetypinlove 