When we physically stumble and fall…we learn from it. Walk slower, watch what we’re doing, look out for hazards. But when we stumble and fall spiritually…do we grasp as readily the true consequences of our transgressions…or do we just continue with that downward spiral?
Tag: inspirational
Mark 10:48 ” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ‘ Son of David, have mercy on me!’ “
Blind Bartimaeus was begging by the roadside near Jericho, when from all the commotion, he realized Jesus was walking his way. He started shouting at the top of his lungs trying get the attention of Jesus who he heard healed people. And he continued to yell…and yell – to the point the gathering crowd reprimanded him sharply. But Bartimaeus was undeterred…for he just knew that Jesus could heal him…so he kept calling out, ” Jesus, heal me!” Don’t ever allow other people’s disapproval or doubt stop you from reaching out to Jesus and receiving your healing…just keep on yelling!
Psalm 95: 6-7 ” Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.”
We are the sheep under the watchful eye of the Good Shepherd. Ever protected and cared for, we need not wander away from His ever present safety and security. Thank you Lord for being such a good Father.
Daniel 9:18 ” We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy.”
We are unfaithful…but He is ever faithful to us. We are mean-spirited and unfair to others…but He is always compassionate and gracious towards us. We are judgmental and unmerciful…but He is ever full of grace and loving kindness.
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 Samuel 1:10 ” In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.”
Hannah wasn’t just upset…she wasn’t just sad. Hannah was totally heartbroken and in anguish for what she saw as insurmountable odds. From deep within her being she poured out her soul…pleading for God’s mercy. And the Lord heard her and moved. You may be feeling as hopeless as Hannah today, but remember, God is listening to your prayer and He will move.
Isaiah 61:1 ” The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…”
In the fourth Chapter of Luke, Jesus has come home to Nazareth for a visit and on the Sabbath goes to the Synagogue. There the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah is handed to Him and He reads this passage out loud. In doing so, He announces His mission and purpose here on earth. For as everyone waited for Him to speak, He said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” He honored not only His family, but His home town by officially starting His ministry in Nazareth.
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.
Psalm 63:1 ” O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
David wrote this Psalm while in the desert…and sometimes we travel through our own desert. Those periods of dryness, when everything seems empty, parched and withered…those times when God seems so far away. But be encouraged…God’s showers are coming! Showers of blessings flowing down and filling your soul with living water. Your emptiness will be filled, and because of those abundant blessings, new life will spring forth from within.
Revelation 3:11 ” I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
In John’s letter to the church in Philadelphia, he urged the Believers to hold fast to and maintain their saving faith in Jesus Christ. That still holds true today. The world and its strong lure is ever trying to take us down a path of destruction and death. But we are more than victors…having been given the crown of life…the symbol of triumph and eternal life.