The scripture today is a continuation of the thought from yesterday…a encouraging thought for all of us… that we are stronger than we think, braver than we can ever imagine, and only need to trust the Lord in order to succeed. We are exhorted here that we are not of those who shrink back, but rather have faith. For what hangs in the balance is simple…eternal life, or eternal damnation.
Tag: trust in the lord
Hebrews 10: 37-38 ” For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.’ “
The writer of Hebrews is paraphrasing Habakkuk 2:3-4 in this passage. He’s stressing that our spiritual walk is made up of constant, focused, decisions to trust and obey the Lord…even when we can’t see change. He warns us against retreating or drawing back from trials simply out of fear. If you’re in the middle of a storm today, don’t allow fear to rule your life…don’t hesitate when apprehension rises in your throat…rather make a conscious decision to listen to that still small voice of the Holy Spirit and walk by faith.
Proverbs 26: 28 ” A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”
Words can cut deep…and if they’re deceitful on top of that, they’re deadly. Why then do we choose to lie? It’s simple, if the truth doesn’t serve us well – we lie. If we want to get back at someone we dislike – we’ll lie. If we want our way – we sweet talk and flatter…saying what we know the other person wants to hear. Lying can become a way of life – where no two stories are ever the same, and we say whatever will get us the results we desire.
Proverbs 26: 14 ” As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.”
According to the dictionary, the word sluggard means a slow or lazy person. But the term lazy can mean much more than just not wanting to work. We may be a sluggard towards daily time in God’s Word…preferring rather to mindlessly scroll our phones. We may be a lax sluggard, who acknowledges God’s plan and purpose in our lives…but prefers the comfort of our recliner and Media Center more. A sluggard is doomed to poverty so the Proverb says…destitute in both material and spiritual things.
Revelation 20: 1-2 ” And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.”
God could have sent the archangel, Michael…who was a mighty warrior. He could have sent the angel, Gabriel…who had announced the birth of Jesus. But instead, He sent someone else. An angel that not only carried the keys to the Abyss, but wrangled the devil, hog-tying him up in a chain and tossing him headlong into the bottomless pit. God didn’t need to send Michael or Gabriel to subdue the devil…He just needed some unknown angel to do the job.
I Chronicles 26: 12 ” These divisions of the Gatekeepers, through their chief men, had duties for ministering in the Temple of the Lord, just as their relatives had.”
Have your parents always been active in Church, but you’ve held back…maybe thinking it’s not for you? Look around your Church and assess the age of those who serve the most. Are they in their 20’s or 30’s…or is it more like 60’s and 70’s, or older? The sad fact about many Churches today is that the vast majority of those ministering and volunteering are the elderly of the Church, not younger adults. In this verse, it speaks of the Gatekeepers being chief men…men who were strong and in the prime of their life…charged with guarding and protecting with self-discipline and integrity. The Church is only as young as the people who serve. And when those precious Saints of the Church are gone…what happens next? Who will fill their shoes? Will you?
Malachi 1:14 “For I am a great King, says the Lord Almighty, and My name is to be feared among nations.”
You are the Lord Almighty. The mightiest Warrior…the all-powerful King of Israel. Your Rulership is over the entire universe. By Your power, You have created all things, and You stand ever ready to preserve their existence. We thank You Lord for Your faithfulness, and stand in awe of Your total authority.
Malachi 1:7-8 ” You place defiled food on My altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You?’ By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you? says the Lord Almighty.”
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.
In Christ Jesus…You are a new creation in Christ.
In II Corinthians 5:17 it says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” If Jesus dwells within you, you have been born again…a spiritual rebirth of a brand new person. But we humans like to return to the comfortable and easy things of the past rather than step forward into activities that are new, strange…and scary. As a Believer, you can’t go back to your old person, for he or she doesn’t exist anymore. You can only move forward…for the plan and purpose of God is to make you into something you’ve never been before.
Nehemiah 8:9 ” This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep. For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the Words of the Law.”
The Words of the Lord are powerful. They convict and lay bare the sin in our life and cause Godly sorrow. This Godly sorrow leads to brokenness and repentance. For every time we listen to the Word being spoken, it’s an opportunity for the Lord to change us.
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