The steadfastness and certainty of the Lord can not be more apparent than knowing that what He has planned for us was decided long before this world began. This is shown even more beautifully in Isaiah 14:24, “The Lord Almighty has sworn, ‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.’ ” God and His Word does not change…nor will His purpose and plans for your life.
Tag: eternal life
Philippians 2: 3-4 ” Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
What would this world be like if everyone honored and sought the good of others before themselves? If there was only humility and kindness rather than conceit and selfishness in all our interactions? What would the world be like if our focus was on becoming more like Jesus and less like the world?
Job 16: 20-21 ” My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man He pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.”
As it says in Romans 8:34, “Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.” He is our close friend that not only knows us intimately, but knows our Judge intimately. Jesus is our mediator, our arbitrator, and the one that will always appeal on our behalf. What a friend we have in Jesus.
The Tomb’s still empty.
On that Resurrection Sunday they found the stone rolled away and the tomb where they had laid Jesus empty…and somehow we tend to forget the power it took for that miracle to happen. We forget the magnitude of Jesus taking every sin ever committed by mankind on Himself. We downplay the sacrifice He made for us while we were yet sinners. So the next time you’re racked by fear and doubt…remember the tomb’s still empty. When discouragement and anxiety try to take over your life…remember the tomb’s still empty. When the world seems in turmoil and paranoia…remember the tomb’s still empty, and God’s still in control…and if you had been the only person on earth, Jesus would have died for you.
Proverbs 15:28 ” The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.”
Elsewhere in Proverbs it says that the prudent give thought to their ways…and taking a moment to meditate before speaking is probably the most telling distinction between a righteous and unrighteous person. For you’ll find that the mouth is the external manifestation of a man’s inner character and integrity.
Proverbs 14:33 ” Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known.”
We tend to perceive things through our senses…but they aren’t always correct or reliable. But intelligent insight and sound judgment are far superior to charged up emotions or senses any day. And to think about it… even a fool can gain wisdom and discretion…by simply keeping his mouth shut!
I John 2:16 ” For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.”
The corrupt nature of man hasn’t change one bit from when this scripture was written to today…or for that matter…from when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Man’s means and manners on the most part involve fulfilling and satisfying those sinful needs and pleasures that can never be fully appeased. Proverbs 27:20 tells us that our eyes are never satisfied. The world is always searching for the next new thing…the next new entertainment …the next new indulgence…never to be satisfied by the status quo. There is only one thing that can fully satisfy that longing and that is a relationship with the living Jesus.
I Timothy 4:7-8 “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
Paul was spurring Timothy on to develop exemplary habits, thoughts, and behaviors… And this would also hold true for us today. For it’s by discipline and instruction that we become the person God wants us to become. And in the end, we will reap the benefit of blessings in this present life and eternal life to come.
I Corinthians 13:12 ” Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
Who can understand God? Who can comprehend His ways or grasp His greatness? What we perceive now falls so pathetically far from what we’ll then realize…when we’re face to face.
Matthew 16:26 ” What good will it be for man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? “
In this passage Jesus is being very blunt…we can’t work our way into heaven. No amount of riches we’ve amassed will do…no worldly commodity, can be exchanged for the gift of salvation.
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