Biblical writers used the term “idol” rather scornfully, denouncing them as “dead beams of wood.” For anytime something is preventing us from seeing the truth and enticing us away from the one true God…it’s all death, decay, and darkness.
Tag: relationship with god
I Kings 11:4 ” As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.”
King Solomon had not followed the laws of God that commanded the Israelites not to intermarry with foreigners. Of his 700 wives and 300 concubines, numerous were foreign women who worshiped many gods. Instead of remaining fully committed and totally obedient…Solomon acquiesced and compromised his devotion to the Lord.
Ecclesiastes 2:26 ” To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.”
To the Believer, the Lord bestows not only godly insight and discernment…but also optimism and deep contentment. But to the non-Believer, the Lord gives the assignment of acquiring wealth in order to bless Believers with provision and prosperity.
Ecclesiastes 2:13 ” I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.”
Groping around in pitch blackness can be dangerous. The consequences can be just as hazardous when spiritual darkness blinds us to the risks and pitfalls of this fallen world. When light invades the darkness, the darkness must flee. When life, salvation, and wisdom come into us…the spiritual darkness must also take flight.
Jeremiah 29: 14 ” ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.’ “
Sometimes we manage to banish ourselves from God’s presence by bad decisions we’ve made…sometimes the Lord disciplines us by starkly exposing our disobedience and lets us think about it in the desert for a while. Either way, God promises His forgiveness and reconciliation to all who seek Him.
Jeremiah 29:12 ” ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.’ “
When we seek the Lord…He will be found, and He will listen. When we summon His aid…He’s right there to help. When we plead for mercy…He hears and moves on our behalf. You have God’s undivided attention anytime you call to Him…for He wants to shoulder the burdens you’re carrying.
Jeremiah 29:11 ” ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ “
The plan and purpose for your life was written before the beginning of time. Every goal, aspiration, and ambition has been planned for you beforehand…every aim, consideration, and course of life has been especially designed for you only by the Lord Himself. He desires only the best for you.
Joshua 22:5 “But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.”
This verse brings together the very essence of what every Christian strives to do on a daily basis. We are to love God and in doing so, love others. We are to imitate His ways… obey His word…and resist the pull of the world, cleaving only to God…for in that is eternal life and unspeakable joy.
Isaiah 1:18 ” ‘Come now, let us reason together’, says the Lord, ‘though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ “
The Children of Israel had veered far off course…they had rebelled against God and were “off doing their own thing.” Now God was calling them back…repent or face judgment…turn back to Me and be forgiven.
Hebrews 11: 39-40 ” These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”
Hebrews Chapter 11, the great “Faith” Chapter in the Bible is a dichotomy of truths to the world. On one hand, it’s a litany of Bible greats who were known for their tremendous trust in God. But on the other hand, not one of them ever received their promise. In fact, Hebrews 11:13 says, “All were still living by faith when they died.” Do you have the wherewithal to hold tightly to your faith until the very end…clinging to the promises of God, even if you never actually see them?
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