Leftovers. For many, they’re not very appetizing. So why do we repeatedly offer them to the Lord ? Those remaining bits and pieces of our time and money in a rather half-hearted attempt at devotion. God doesn’t want our leftovers. He wants our utmost. He doesn’t want what’s left…He wants our very best.
Tag: salvation
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.
Proverbs 24: 23 ” These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good…”
In Leviticus 19:15 it states, ” Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” We tend to have our own very personal prejudices and biases…comfortable preferences that have been ingrained in us by our culture, family, and past experiences. But that doesn’t mean they are fair or just. All our decisions must be based on God’s decrees and Laws, rather than our feelings.
Psalm 119: 89 ” Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens…”
To paraphrase Isaiah 51:6…the heavens will vanish, and the earth will wear out – but My salvation will last forever, My righteousness will never fail. The Lord is everlasting and forever…His authority supersedes all that we know and see. His dominion will never end….His love for you will never cease.
Isaiah 6:10 ” Make the heart of this people calloused…”
Are you walking around with a hardened heart? When we’ve been hurt over and over again, our only recourse is to protect our heart…our inner person. We put up a wall of callousness and apathy so no one can hurt us again. It’s effective, but makes us appear uncaring and insensitive to others. It’s also really lonely within those walls…but we’re too afraid and distrustful to allow anyone in…so instead, we put on the mask of indifference.
But you may also be walking around with a hardened heart from sin. Everything is going great… you can make it on your own…you don’t need the Lord. But obstinately refusing God will only lead to destruction.
II Corinthians 1:24 ” Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm. “
You are being an example to those around you whether you realize it or not. You are an ambassador for Christ everywhere you go…whether you want to be or not, for when you take on the name “Christian”, people will judge you by higher standards. They will watch you closer and judge you harsher. When you take on the name Believer, you become an example… whether that be a good one or bad.
Daniel 3: 16-18 ” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’ “
The three Hebrew children knew just where their strength came from…there was no need to defend themselves before the king. For their faith and trust in God enabled them to rest in the knowledge that the battle was the Lord’s, not theirs. We too don’t need to fight our battles alone…the Lord is standing ever ready to advocate for us. All He asks is that we walk in faith while He does the work.
John 15:26 ” When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth Who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me.”
Right before Jesus left this earth, He designated the Holy Spirit as the Paraclete…another of equal quality in His place. The Holy Spirit is called a Paraclete because He undertakes Christ’s office here while Christ is away from the world. Bearing witness to the absolute, ultimate, and saving truth of Jesus, the Holy Spirit gently nudges us ever in the right direction.
Isaiah 25:9 ” Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
Where and in whom does your hope lie today? Do you trust only yourself and your sheer determination to make your dreams reality? Or maybe you trust the world around you to give you everything you desire. Unfortunately, there is no one or thing here on earth that has the ability to deliver you from damnation… for there is only one person that can give you victory over guilt and eternal punishment of your sins. Jesus is that only person that can save your soul.
II Corinthians 4: 1-2 ” Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.”
In a Believer’s life I think there isn’t anything potentially more volatile than secret sins. Hidden sins will lead us to compromise and dilute the truth in our own mind…rationalizing things until we can live with ourselves. They cause us to hide things out of shameful awareness and dispair…which spirals us down the slippery slope into depression. Secret sins need to be dealt with…not left to simmer and develop into more. Besides, you’re only fooling yourself if you think that hidden sins are really hidden.
Safetypinlove 