After the Great Flood, God spoke to Noah, telling him that never again would a flood destroy the earth…and the sign of this Covenant would be a rainbow in the sky. But this Covenant wasn’t just between Noah and the Lord, this Covenant agreement is between God and all Mankind. Every time you see the wonderful glowing colors of a magnificent rainbow as it arches across the sky, know that God is saying to you…”My Covenant is with you My child, never again will the earth be ravaged by a deluge, never again will I devastate it with a great overflowing of water.”
Tag: THE WORD
II Timothy 1:7 ” For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
Fear need not motivate our thoughts and actions…it need not grip us in paralyzing terror. Fear is not of the Lord…quite the opposite, Satan uses fear very effectively to stop us from moving forward with what the Lord would want us to be doing. Instead, the verse says that God has given us the ability to discern with a logical, sound mind what is true. As Romans 8:15 says, ” For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave to fear, but you received the Spirit of Son-ship.” You have been adopted into the family of God, and are joint-heirs with Jesus…and this family of yours doesn’t know the meaning of fear!
Philippians 4:19 ” And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
Our Lord will supply every neccessity…in all things, at all times, giving all that we need. But where we have difficulties in this verse, is in the difference between needing something, and just wanting it…We may have a hard time delineating between the two, but God in His infinite knowledge knows exactly what we need, and what is only a carnal desire. In the end, it’s the Lord in His kindness,tolerance, and patience who decides what’s the very best for us.
Proverbs 10:32 ” The lips of the righteous know what is fitting.”
Think back on all the conversations you’ve had with others today…if Jesus had walked in, would you just smile at Him and continue, or would His Presence stop you cold…mid-sentence? This Proverb talks about being able to discern and understand what comes from our mouth should be pleasing, acceptable and said with kindness. In Psalms 59:7 it says that, “They spew out swords from their lips.”…comparing harsh words and sharp tongues to a saber. Cruel, heartless words can sometimes cut deeper than any steel sword… leaving a gaping wound that will never heal. A wise man’s words are gracious…showing mercy and kindness…and always fitting.
Numbers 23: 19 ” God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind.”
Two things that the Lord cannot do…He can’t lie, in Hebrews it states, “it’s impossible for God to lie.”…secondly, He can’t change His mind, in Malachi it states, ” I the Lord do not change.” Our ways are not God’s ways, but we’re always trying to slap our human emotions onto Him…trying to make Him a little more like us…riddled with the flaws we have. But God is so much bigger than we can ever imagine…His plans will stand forever, He will fulfill and keep every promise, You will never hear a falsehood from His mouth, you will never see Him change. Our ways are not His ways…His ways are perfect.
Psalm 33: 2 ” Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to Him…”
Years back, I was the Director of Nursing at a large Alzheimer’s Unit in Washington State. It was a very demanding, but yet very gratifying job. We had just admitted a lady with end-stage Alzheimer’s as well as many other serious medical problems.
She was not eating well, so I took it upon myself to sit with her during meals in the Dining Room to encourage her to eat. Music was an important part of our day in the Building…depending on the time of day, different types, rhythms, and tempos were played. Music Therapy can be used to help calm, motivate, and engage those lost to this Disease process known as Alzheimer’s. Lunch was over, everyone had left the Dining Room ,except this lady and me. I went over to the CD Player and selected an instrumental CD of Celtic harp music. As the music filled the empty space, she suddenly looked, pointed and smiled. I asked her what she was looking at…she asked me if I couldn’t see the angels playing the beautiful music?? Oh, I wish I could have, but from the look on her face it was a wonderful performance…she died a day later… and I can only imagine with those same angels welcoming her home with heavenly music.
Proverbs 30: 7-9 ” Two things I ask of You, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God.”
Two simple, but quite profound things the sage writer of this Proverb is asking of the Lord…First, place a hedge of protection up between deception, wickedness, and me, and secondly, provide me with just a common, usual, and customary lifestyle. The writer is asking God to not only keep Satan far from him, but to also guard his heart, mind and soul from demonic attack. The other request plays on Man’s propensity to become proud when he thinks that it’s because of his own power and strength that he’s wealthy. As it says in Hosea 13:6 “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot Me.” That “self-made man” ideology has been the downfall of many a person who mistakenly thought it was them and not the Lord who supplied all their needs. The writer of this Proverb did not want to turn his back on God through arrogance and pride, or disgrace the name of the Lord, by stealing.
Proverbs 15: 30 ” A cheerful look brings joy to the heart…”
A face that “lights up” with a smile is so very much easier to look at than a scowl. A person with an optimistic outlook and positive attitude is nicer to be around than one with the opposite. I realize it can hard to be around negative, down, people with chips on their shoulders, but a cheerful look can transform the crankiest of people by bringing delight to their hard heart. A sincere smile and kind word can change a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
Isaiah 30:18 ” Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him.”
Our Lord earnestly desires to show us kindness, He is constantly wanting to give us His love and mercy…as a Father would lovingly treat His child. But He is also just, and justice is one of God’s great attributes…it’s something rooted in His character…God loves justice. It’s something, we as Believers should strive to emulate in our own lives. The Lord is truly good to those whose hope is in Him…Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart.
Genesis 4:9 ” Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I don’t know,’ he replied, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ “
With God being omnipresent – all present, and omniscient – all-knowing, He didn’t have to ask Cain where Abel was…He knew that Cain had murdered him. But God was testing Cain to see his reply. Do you think Cain was that naive that he didn’t think God knew what happened? Was it out of anger, frustration or guilt that Cain shot back his own question…”Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain had fallen in the trap set by Satan, and he was carrying out Satan’s desires…to kill and destroy. But looking again at Cain’s question…was he his brother’s keeper? Are we our brother’s keeper? Is it our responsibility to be that guardian, chaperon, or protector to our fellow human beings?Though God never specifically answered Cain’s question, from the severity of the sentence He handed down, Cain had his answer.
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