The Lord had directed Jeremiah to invite the Recabite family in and serve them wine. But when he did, they responded with this covenant they had kept for generations. None of them had ever drank wine. The Lord then used this example to show how the Recabites had continued to uphold their forefather’s commandment…yet the people of Judah and Jerusalem couldn’t seem to keep God’s commandments.
Tag: inspirational
Exodus 4: 11-12 ” The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’ “
Moses had many excuses of why he wasn’t the person to go to the Pharaoh and demand release of the Hebrew children. But the Lord countered with an airtight defense of why Moses was just the right man for the job. We want to argue with God, but speaking from very personal experience…you’ll never win. We can object all we want, but God desires obedience exclusively. For if He calls you to something, He can and will give you whatever skill is needed to accomplish that task. With God, arguing will get you nowhere…obedience on the other hand, will move His Kingdom forward.
Psalm 52: 8 ” But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever. “
I am planted like a thriving tree in Your presence Lord…grafted securely to the root of Jesse…my dependence is on You and You alone. I praise You Lord for Your never-ending mercy and kindness. I thank You for Your everlasting and eternal love. Amen.
James 2:17 ” In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. “
Prayer is good…action is good, but the Lord wants us to do both together in wisdom. In Nehemiah 4: 8-9 it says, “They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to met this threat.” Prayer will give you God’s vision. It will give you courage and resolve to move out in discernment and a clearer understanding of the problem you face. Prayer is good…action is good, but they need to go hand in hand to be the most effective.
II Kings 19:31 ” The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”
Isaiah talks about the zeal of the Lord six times in the Bible. God’s zeal…His passion, intensity, and fire for His people is evident in the countless times that He intervened on their behalf….achieving miracles only God could perform. The zeal of the Lord Almighty is still working on our behalf today…carrying out His will for His people.
Philemon 7 ” Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. “
What happens when you encourage someone? They hear those words of inspiration and their spirit is renewed and energized. And as their spirit is lifted, that encouragement gives them the courage to persevere through the challenges they face. Never refuse the chance to encourage someone…it may be the one word they need to hang on.
Romans 15: 32 ” So that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.”
When we come together as God’s family, my spirit and yours are refreshed. (I Cor. 16:18) The Lord has opportunity to minster through you and me to touch others with encouragement when we meet together. He can also move corporately throughout to refresh…exhorting, inspiring, and spurring on. But when you decide not to go to Church or Bible Study or Prayer Group for selfish reasons, you are denying others the blessing of giving and receiving hope and inspiration through your absence. Never believe that you don’t matter in the Family of God, for you are a very important and intricate part of the spiritual community called the Body.
Proverbs 15:2 ” The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. “
God first wants to work in you, before He works through you. Remember that your journey with the Lord is a marathon not a sprint when you get impatient. Don’t lose hope in the middle of God shaping you into what you need to be…for only then you can be the most effective for His unique plan and purpose in your life.
Job 36: 13 ” The godless in heart harbor resentment…”
Every once in a while I come across a person who enjoys holding onto bitterness. They recount to me impressive dates and details of past hurts and offenses. They wear these perceived insults as badges, ever brooding over them…playing them over and over in their minds. Pathetically, their vindictiveness and obsession has literally taken over their entire life. This root of bitterness has taken ahold, and grown into an ugly creature that no one can hardly recognize.
Colossians 3:19 ” Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.”
I cringe inwardly every time I over hear a married couple bickering in public. It hurts my heart to hear a husband belittle his wife, and she return it with a volley of sharp and biting comments. The type of love in this verse that the Apostle Paul is talking about is a love rooted in the mind and will of the person, and means to value, esteem, prize…to treat as precious. The fastest way to embitter a person is to make them feel devalued, worthless, and unappreciated.
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