We like to take the commandments from God and embellish them…piling on things that were never given in the first place. Then if we can only keep this long list of “don’t does”, we can somehow “work” our way to heaven. But this will never happen, and we will fail spiritually…our eyes on our works, and off of Jesus.
Tag: relationship with god
Hebrews 13:5-6 ” …because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘ The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’ “
If God, Himself, has told us that He will absolutely never abandon us…why, oh why, don’t we believe Him? Rather, we allow fear and apprehension to creep into our minds – clouding over His Words. It’s at that moment that we need to stop…take a deep spiritual breath…remembering what He’s promised…and then proceed boldly forward holding on to His Word.
Isaiah 51:6 ” Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But My salvation will last forever, My righteousness will never fail.”
All things as we know it will end someday, but the Almighty Lord is without beginning or end. His deliverance of us from the guilt and punishment of sin will always stand firm…His Word is eternal and everlasting…the Lord will always remain.
Numbers 12: 6-8 ” When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal Myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord.”
Moses had a very unique relationship with God. When they conversed, it was direct and open, with no guessing what was being said between the two of them. God didn’t speak to Moses using parables or proverbs…but rather He spoke openly and honestly. And during these conversations, Moses gazed upon the brilliant manifestation of God’s glory.
Romans 6:4 ” Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
On this Easter Sunday, the Lord extends to you this invitation for a new life…a life unlike the one you have right now…a life new and fresh with endless possibilities. It’s there for you today…all you need to do is say “Yes” to Jesus.
Isaiah 29:13 ” The Lord says, ‘ These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men.’ “
Our lips are the gate to honesty or deception…and giving lip service or insincere devotion to our Lord is the height of falsehood. And when we worship the rules more than worshiping God, it takes it to a realm of legalism that He never intended. Mankind has a bad habit of focusing on Rules… while God wants the focus to be on the Relationship.
Romans 6: 6-7 ” For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”
Dead bodies can’t sin…dead bodies can’t be held in bondage by a sinful nature anymore…dead bodies can’t react to the worldly things around them…dead bodies can’t sin. Put off your “old self” and be set free, no longer a slave to sin… now a willing bond servant to righteousness.
Romans 8:28 ” And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
In other manuscripts this well-known verse is translated…”And we know that all things work together for good, (or bring about what is good) to those who love God.” The Lord can bring about something useful, profitable, and beneficial from the most dire and serious situation…when our simple human minds can only see the bad, He is still working for the good. Joseph’s brothers sold him off to a passing caravan, and though their intentions were evil, the Lord was still in control of the final outcome. In Genesis 50:20, by then in charge of the whole land of Egypt, Joseph told his brothers…” You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” No matter what it looks like right now…the final result is solely the Lord’s.
Proverbs 16:28 ” A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.”
How many friendships have been blown apart by groundless rumor and hearsay? When whispering behind one’s back suddenly takes an ugly turn, gossip usually is to blame. Gossiping…quite a pastime for many, elevated to an art form for some. But where does all this backbiting get us? Elsewhere in Proverbs it says, “He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” In other words…If you forgive an insult rather than keep dredging it up to everyone who will listen, it will not cause friends to quarrel, take offense, and lose that close relationship they once had. Gossip…just say NO.
Isaiah 25:4 ” You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.”
Today we have winds howling outside at 60 miles per hour, but what really makes a difference out here in the wide-open country is the L-shaped wind break of 18 huge pine trees we have around our property. These huge trees shelter the house from the brunt of the storms, and hold back a massive amount of snow in the Winter. Without their protection, our house would be barraged by all the elements. The Lord wants us to take shelter in Him when the storms of life hit…He wants to be our hiding place and refuge from the tempest. As Psalm 118:8 says, ” It is better to take refuge in the Lord than trust in men.” If the winds of the world are howling around you today, find your place of protection in the Lord.
Safetypinlove 