Author: kezha1

Just a few verses later Paul repeats his lament of this inner conflict, “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19) Here, Paul is bemoaning the real and bewildering inner conflict between the two natures within him…the old nature of sin and fleshly desires, and the new nature of grace and a renewed mind. This is where our Salvation and the “already and not yet” needs to come into play. As a Christain, we have been already liberated from the power of sin, but we are not yet free from the presence of sin. And so as long as we live here on earth, this conflict will continue to raise its slimy little head.

The world has normalized sin to where it is considered common place. It has desensitized us to wickedness to the point that we no longer react negatively. The world has glorified and glamourized transgressions by film stars, music moguls, and professional athletes so that we envy rather than abhor their lifestyles. Even in some Churches immorality and other personal wrongs are glossed over as mere human weaknesses…”And it’s ok, everyone does it.” But the Bible is very clear and concise when it comes to sin…it’s wrong, and God hates it. For sin keeps us from fellowship with God and can only lead to Hell. (Romans 6:23)

The Psalmist is expressing his longing for the Lord to shepherd and lead him in the paths of righteousness. He knows that God is faithful in His truth and the enlightenment which comes from it. We see this confidence repeated in Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” So in other words, God’s light and truth brings clarity, order, and understanding into every situation we’ll ever encounter as we allow Him to guide us along life’s journey.

When inner peace is elusive, look to the Lord Who blesses His people with peace. (Psalm 29:11) When you look at the day ahead with unrest and anxiety, calm your Spirit by remembering that your peace is found in Immanuel, or as Jesus reassured us in John 14:27 before He left this earth… the peace He gives us is one of true reconciliation with God…purchased by His death in our place. And when we find ourselves desperately seeking out Divine peace…remember that God’s peace is like a running river of blessings flowing out from His Presence …surpassing all of our understanding. (Isaiah 66:12 & Philippians 4:7)

Stephen was the first Christian to die for his belief within the early Church. His giftings quickly showed him to be a persuasive public speaker and powerful miracle worker. But this caused much anger and frustration within the Jewish Synagogue Leaders…for they couldn’t answer to or defend themselves before Stephen’s masterful presentation of the Gospel Message. So instead, they quietly instigated a mob and false witnesses that would perjure themselves by slandering Stephen’s good name, character, and integrity. And this is exactly what the Jewish Leaders wanted. Stephen was quickly convicted of blasphemy and stoned to death by the crowd…but not before he delivered one of the most beautiful and comprehensive Old Testament history highlights…ending with defending his belief that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.

Our Salvation is by grace through faith and is a gracious gift of God…not through any human achievement of ours. This is made plain in Ephesians 2:8-9 which states, ” For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so no one may boast.” Thus, this inexpressible and generous gift of God has nothing to do with our deeds, but everything to do with our dedication to Christ Jesus, His Son.

David wrote this Psalm while in distress but still exhibited a deep confidence and faith in God. And so, in complete transparency and boldness his supplication fearlessly cried out to God because he knew that God was his righteousness. (Jeremiah 23:6) It’s absolutely alright to pray bold, honest prayers in the midst of suffering…reminding God (and yourself) of His unswerving adherence to the standard of fairness, kindness, and mercy…all the while knowing you have His undivided attention.

Without true repentance there will be no modification of behavior. And those empty words spoken by others will ring hollow, and insincere. Our trust will erode away, and feelings of invalidation will soon take over. While thoughts like, “I’m not important.” “I have no value.” or “I don’t really matter to them.” will invade our mind. But God’s Word tells us that, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (II Corinthians 5:21) So no matter what others say about us, through the Gospel Message, the perfect righteousness of Christ has been imputed by God and received by us through our faith alone. And in God’s eyes we are of great value and importance to Him.

Here Solomon ponders the frustrations and tragedies of life’s impermanence, and how all of our hard work is for nothing in the end. He uses the word picture of toiling after the wind, or striving after the wind, or feeding on wind throughout the Book to show just how futile earthly labor is. For we come into the world empty-handed, and we leave the same way. Thus, it’s so important to be about the Lord’s work while we’re here on earth…knowing God will not forget our work as we help His people. (Hebrews 6:10)

In this passage, Amos gives the promise of future deliverance and restoration by God’s plan to save the Gentiles through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As the greater Son of David, the resurrected Jesus would raise up the fallen tent of David…rebuilding and fulfilling God’s promise to establish David’s dynasty eternally… or as James described in Acts 15:12-17 when he quoted Amos and applied it to God’s taking a people for Himself from among the Gentiles and including them within His Church. The prophet Amos thus, foresees that the Lord will take possession of the remnant of all nations and will reign over them in a covenantal relationship through Jesus Christ, the coming Messiah.