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.
Tag: encounter with God
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.
Joshua 1:5 ” No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
No matter what, the Lord is there for you. His presence doesn’t hinge on how good you try to be or how many times you read His Word and pray…No, it doesn’t matter what you do or don’t do… God’s always there. Maybe you’ve been abandoned or deserted by someone in the past, so now you feel you can’t trust God. But it’s different with the Lord, for His covenant with you is unbreakable, unchangeable, unshakeable. Realize today…God will never leave or forsake you.
Isaiah 1: 19-20 ” If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Yielding our will to God is not easy…for compliance never comes without internal struggle. But if we listen to Him…understanding that it’s for our own good that He’s directing us that way…and then obey the message we’ve heard…God will work all things out for our good. Along this same line, Job 36:11 says, “If they obey and serve Him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.” Simple obedience…sometimes hard to do, but oh so beneficial.
Psalm 38:15 ” I wait for You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God.”
If you’re praying but not expecting…why even bother? If you’re simply mouthing words because it’s the thing to do, but have no hope that God will answer…why waste your breath. If it’s only for show that you pray…why even go there if you don’t truly believe that your prayers are heard? If you’re praying, but not expecting God to move…why bother.
Leviticus 26:1 ” Do not make idols or setup an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.”
Modern day idols can take the form of many things. They may be people, possessions, locations or life-styles…anything that takes its place above God. Our graven image may be pride and self-importance. Or it may be bowing down to our collection of belongings…those babbles, toys, and things we amass and hoard just to say we have them. Anytime we put or trust and affections in anything other than God we’re headed down the wrong path.
II Samuel 22:29 You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.”
I really hate getting up in the middle of the night and stumbling around in the dark. It can be scary and potentially dangerous. But if I simply first turn on a lamp, it changes everything. My fear of falling or tripping over some unseen thing goes away…for now I can see clearly my path. God’s light…His truth, is like a floodlight to our life’s path…illuminating all the precarious obstacles in front of us, so that we may walk in safety.
Isaiah 2:22 ” Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?”
Psalm 146:3 states it another way, “Don’t put your trust in mortal men.” We are all mere human creatures…here today and gone tomorrow. None of us are that important or warrant historic distinction to be remembered thousands of years from now…so putting your belief in man is worthless, for it’s only God that can be fully trusted with your life.
I Corinthians 4:20 ” For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”
You can tell someone about God. You can share what He’s done in your life, and how you’ve been changed. But words are empty until the Holy Spirit reveals to that person the true nature and reality of the might and authority of God .
Isaiah 26:7 ” The path of the righteous is level; O upright one, You make the way of the righteous smooth.”
Walking on uneven and bumpy ground can be very challenging…and even dangerous. At anytime our feet can slip and we can fall. But if we stand on solid, level ground, we can walk with confidence, even if the path is shrouded in shadows. Our journey through life is like that…it can be either be smooth or rough…life or death, depending on the path we choose.
Safetypinlove 