To be very honest with you, I don’t know how I would have made it this far without the Lord’s strength. He has become my shield, my refuge, my song, and the strength of my heart. And as I journey through life in this foreign land, undergirded by His strength, I have become but a wayfarer seeking after Him…resolutely setting my heart and mind on things above…and turning my face towards Zion. (Jeremiah 50:4-5)
I John 4:16-17 ” And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him.”
God first loved us, so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross in our place…and now we are commanded to take that love He showed us and love one another. (John 15:17) And as we abide in this love, it realizes its objective. For if we love one another, “God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” (I John 4:12) But it takes faith and obedience on our part to truly love one another with the Agape love God first loved us with…for human beings are very unlovable creatures. We’re deceptive, selfish, and full of pride, and would much rather love ourselves than someone else. But in order to be in right fellowship with our Heavenly Father and hold fast to the hope of eternal life…we must love one another.
James 5:14 ” Is anyone of you sick? He should call the elders of the Church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the Name of the Lord.”
The early Church wasn’t just a place that people gathered for a couple of hours on Sunday and then was empty the rest of the week. It was a community meeting place that teemed with people coming and going all the time…each with a variety of problems. It was not a place where spiritual needs were met only, but both physical, and emotional as well. This holistic approach integrated and treated the whole person, not separate parts…people caring for the spiritual as well as the medical needs of their fellow Believers. The other interesting bit of this Scripture is the Greek word for “elder” in this passage…Ekklesia is not limited to the Office of Elders in the Church…it also refers to men and women of a ripe old age and experience, that are full of wisdom and sage advice who can pray with people and minister unto the Lord for His glory.
Ephesians 2:3 ” All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”
No matter where you are in your Christian walk or how long you’ve been saved, the stark truth is – you once used to follow the ways of the world. You were unresponsive spiritually to the things of God…satisfying the desires of the flesh…disobedient and rebellious. At one time or another, we were all lost and doomed to God’s righteous judgment. And that’s what Paul is telling us here…we are just sinners saved by grace, and we can’t forget that, or become smug and prideful…especially when we interact with unbelievers. There is not one righteous among us…we are all beggars looking for bread.
Daniel 7:13-14 ” In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His Presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His Kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
What appeared to Daniel in this vision was the image of Jesus Christ…matter of fact, in Mark 14:61-62, when Jesus was being questioned by the high priests and Sanhedrin, He quoted this Scripture when asked if He was the Messiah. In Isaiah 13:6 this is called “The Day of The Lord” – when His throne will be established with a Kingdom that cannot be shaken…or as Revelation 11:15 tells us, “The Kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Christ, and He will reign for ever and ever.” And there will be no doubt or question when this happens, for every eye will see Him, (Revelation 1:7), every knee will bow, and every tongue confess Jesus is Lord. (Romans 14:11)
Hebrews 12:11-12 ” No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.”
Maybe, as I did, you watched the Olympics this Summer and were astonished at the tremendous ability, strength, and endurance the athletes possessed. But little did we know about the years of training and preparation they had gone through prior to the actual Olympic Games…the hours of becoming fit and proficient in their sport…sacrificing everything for the chance to represent their country. And I can only guess they’d be the first to agree that their training sessions weren’t always pleasurable and fun…but they were necessary to succeed and reach their goal of standing on the podium with a metal. So let’s apply these thoughts to this Scripture…for both speak of training and discipline. Just as they did at the Olympics, you represent Christ to the world, and in order to represent Him to the best of your ability you must be willing to train. And training means a lifetime of endurance, courage, and perseverance as you prepare and focus on the goal. For some glorious day you too will be standing on a podium…a heavenly podium, and hear these words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Zephaniah 3:17 ” The Lord God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
The Scripture above has great significance…today and nine years ago. For it was exactly nine years ago that Safetypinlove.com came to be, and from this verse came the very first Devotional. That day, I had no idea how the Lord would use it or me…for I was simply being obedient to His calling. And now nine years later, I look back on 3,064 Devotionals that go into 150 countries around the world, and can only marvel at what the Lord has accomplished. But even this Scripture in Zephaniah is prophetic when it comes to God’s faithfulness, steadfastness, and love over these past years. For God will never forsake or leave…and if He calls you into something know that He’s already prepared the way and given you everything you need to succeed. The Lord takes great delight in His people and crowns the humble with salvation. (Psalm 149:4)…trust and obedience are what God wants from us…the rest He can easily supply. His unfailing love rests upon us as we put our hope in Him. (Psalm 33:22)…place your hope and faith in Him, and nothing else…for nothing else will satisfy. Finally, God rejoices over us as we follow Him. If you would of told me nine years ago that God’s Word, through Safetypinlove.com, would reach as many people as it does, I probably wouldn’t have believed you…But with God nothing is impossible!
Proverbs 30:15-16 ” There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’ the grave, the barren womb, land which is never satisfied with water, and fire which never says, ‘Enough!’ “
As Proverbs 27:20 points out, “Death and Destruction are never satisfied.” Habakkuk 2:5 goes even farther in describing Death and Destruction as greedy and never content. You don’t have to look far to see that our broken world is full of both Death and Destruction, but that doesn’t mean we have to live in utter hopelessness and despair. For when we look to Jesus as our source and joy we can be fully satisfied with His love. That’s because when He opens His hands we will be satisfied with good things. (Psalm 104:28) And if we are diligent, our desires will be fully met. (Proverbs 13:4) Unlike Death and Destruction that will never say, “Enough!’ We can confidently say, ‘Yes, In Christ, I am and have enough!’
Leviticus 18: 9-10 ” When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.”
For the most part, those of you who will read this don’t own farm ground or vineyards…so you might ask yourself, how does this Scripture apply to me? Well, for starters, as Believers we should be concerned with things that God’s concerned with, right? Things that are important to God need to be important to us…and aliens, widows, and orphans are extremely important to Him. So much, that He made special provisions for them, a safety-net so to speak, in order that they could survive. So how does it apply to you today? One way could be to keep a change jar that you throw your spare change into…and periodically give the money to a worthy cause. But a great idea would be to not keep your schedule so packed full that you couldn’t volunteer on short notice when asked…that’s because protecting, providing, and procuring for the less fortunate seldom happens on a perfect timetable…but that doesn’t mean the project still isn’t very important to God…and if it’s important to Him, it needs to be important to us.
Isaiah 43:1 ” Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.”
Two Scriptures that relate to this one are also found in Isaiah. The first is Isaiah 45:3-4, “I am the Lord God of Israel Who summons you by name.” and the other is Isaiah 49:1, “Before I was born the Lord called me. From my birth He has made mention of my name.” Regardless of how far you may have walked away from God…rejected His existence, or rebelled against His authority…He knows your name. It says before you were even born He acknowledged and identified you by name and desired a relationship…a close acquaintance that only intimate friends can have. Yes, God knows well all about your sins…but He still chooses to call you by name as a redeemed son or daughter. On the other hand, the devil knows your name too, but to him you’re just a pawn…an unacquainted stranger that he can use for his own wicked purposes. Sure, he may know your name, but he doesn’t really want to “know” you…for he’ll only address you by your past sins…dredging up every sordid detail he can just to cause you shame, guilt, and condemnation.
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