Something to think about.
Something to think about.
Your Not Exempt
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.””
John 16:33 NKJV
Jesus said "You will Have tribulation," not if not maybe you will. He also said, "I have overcome the world." Notice He does not say that we will have victory over our tribulations. He is saying if you if we want to overcome and you want victory over the tribulations that will occur in this life it will only occur in Him. Through Jesus is the only way we will attain the "peace" He is referring to. Only through Jesus can we have a complete victory over the tribulations of life. There is no other way.
Something to think about.
He is Good
1 give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
Something to think about
Praise
“Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!” Psalms 150:1-6 NKJV
There is peace in praise. There is nothing that anyone can do for God that will not result in being blessed. Even the most altruistic act on our behalf towards God will result in our receiving a blessing. Not as a reward but out of His glory. Just to be in His presence will result in being blessed. The essence of the psalm is to show God love because he is worthy of it and do it in whatever fashion best exhibits your praise.
Something to think about.
No Human Wisdom
“No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD.”
Proverbs 21:30 NLT
Believe in Him, deny Him, lie about Him rationalize or intellectualize Him away, there will never be anything in the mind of man that will stop or alter the plan of God. He is in control He always has been and always will be. His will, will prevail and your permission understanding or contribution is not required nor will you be consulted.
Something to think about
A Reminder of Love.
Something to think about.
Prevail
“They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the LORD, “to deliver you.””Jeremiah 1:19
This promise of God can not be fulfilled if you are outside the will of God. When you are in a battle whatever it may be, the first thing you need to ask yourself is, am I in the will of God? God will only be involved in the lives of those who invite Him in, He will not invade your domain. Only after you have invited Him in can He deliver you. If you're outside the will of God, He will definitely use you but not necessarily to deliver you. You have the right to fight the battles of your life alone with your limited resources and knowledge. But why would you, when you can have the creator of the universe on your side?
Something to think about.
No Other
““Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”
Isaiah 45:22 NIV
The message and the call are still the same God does not change. He is still calling man to salvation. He is still God singular in His deity. His call is for all nations, tribes, and peoples. There is a satisfying peace, joy, and exuberance in knowing that God is unmovable; that He is the solid rock of our existence.
Something to think about.
The Currency Of Heaven
Something to Think About
Not A Word
“Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.” Joshua 21:45 NKJV
God is faithful to fulfill His promises. We as Israel lose the path of God we wander away from His goodness. God never changes His path is still the same. He still is seeking those that would obey Him and share in His salvation and glory.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33(KJV)
Something to think about.
Miracles
Something to think about.
Welling Up
John 4:14, NIV: "but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'"
The word I am focusing on is "welling" synonyms: flow, spill, stream, run, rush, gush, roll, cascade, flood, spout.
Jesus is not speaking about real thirst which can be quenched with H2O. He is referring to the thirst of the spirit, the quest of the soul to find meaning in life. He is saying if you accept the words I give you, you will find the answer to the quest of the soul. And once you find it, it will grow into and effervescent flow that will sustain you into eternal life.
As you look at the synonyms of welling, you can see he did not simply mean sustenance he meant an overabundance of supply. So much so that, that the word of life He gives you will cascade out of you. The word of God in you cannot be capped or contained.
Something to think about.
Proof
“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of
His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are
written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that believing you may have life in His name.”John 20:30-31 NKJV
The purpose of the gospels is to provide proof of the deity of
Christ. The gospels serve no other purpose. Yes, you can glean and
learn much about living, but at its core, the gospels are for our
salvation. Christianity is Christ, not what we may want to turn it into.
Do you believe the gospels? Do you believe in the claims of Christ? Do
you believe in the resurrection? Your life will answer these questions much louder than your mouth.
Something to think about.
To And Fro
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”11Chronicles 16:9
God is seeking to bless those who are loyal to Him. He wants to make a significant impact on your life because of your steadfast, firm, unwavering, dedication to Him. Do you want to be a recipient of His favor? The price is wholehearted loyalty. If you do not have complete loyalty towards Him, you will have the life you have. The blessing of God will not be a part of your life.
Something to think about.
Better to Obey Than Repent
22 And Samuel said,
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV)
Obedience, a word that might as well be the four letter word. Yet it is the word that best describes God's desire for those who claim to be His. It is not because He is master and we are servants, it is because in obedience we find the greatest blessings. If we obeyed God, a sacrifice would not be required. In obedience is where we find peace, joy, purpose, love, happiness, fulfillment, and rest. In short, all the beautiful things of life are abundantly available to us if we would obey.
Something to think about
Are You There?
He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. Romans 4:20
If you don't know this story, I encourage you to read the Romans 20.
Abraham being an old man was still expecting, believing and living in full assurance of the fulfillment of the promise. Are you there? Are you, after a long time still convinced that what God has promised you will come to pass? I am not talking about believing, I am speaking of a concrete assurance of the completion of the promise. Do you know that God can? Do you know that God cannot fail? God has promised you eternal life. Are you convinced with absolute conviction that He can deliver? That level of conviction, assurance, unmovable knowledge will change the way you look at every aspect of life.
Something to think about
Living On The Edge
Something to think about.
Engagement
17 pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5:17
How in the world are we supposed to do that? How much time do we spend worrying, spend consumed with and event, situation, crisis? How often does this worrying, being overwhelmed by the problem result in positive resolution? Would it not be better to spend that time seeking Gods resolutions? Actively interacting with God to arrive at the best solution. Praying without ceasing is not a passive activity. It is intentional action between you and God to resolve a real problem. It means seeking Gods will inch by inch step by step, a constant reliance on God. That is how you pray unceasingly. It is an intentional continual practice of engagement with God.
Something to think about.
For This Very Purpose
“For the
Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you
up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in
all the earth.””
Romans 9:17 NKJV
You
may think I will have nothing to do with God, you may even believe God
does not exist. The truth is you have no say in the matter. God is not
affected by your erroneous beliefs. God is going to use you to carry out
His purposes with your permission or not. In every situation exist the
opportunity to glorify God. In the end, he will be Glorified, and you
will be an instrument He uses to bring Him glory. This prophecy will be
fulfilled, 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things
in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father. Philippians 2:10-11 (KJV)
Something to think about.
Overwhelmingly Lonely and Frightening
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Hebrews 9:27-28
I do not fear death because I know after I die I will be in the presence of God. I look forward to beginning eternity in the presence of a great, wonderful benevolent God. There is great peace, a peace that passes the understanding of man. I am in no rush for that inevitability, but I do not fear it.
Can those who reject God say the same thing? All over the world humanity struggles to remain alive. Death is the only thing that you truly do alone. To the glory of God, I have the assurance of salvation and eternal life with Christ. What does the rest of humanity have? The certainty of not knowing. It must be so overwhelmingly lonely and frightening to have no hope, no assurance, no peace as to their eternal destination. They don't know what is coming.
Something to think about.
Doing Good
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10
Are we taking care of our own? Are we so involved in helping the world that we don't take the time to refresh and edify each other? In these divisive times, we need to do all we can to hold each other up, to support each other and care for one other. None of us is an island unto ourselves, we were designed with community in mind. We will be better able to stand the attacks of the enemy if we stand together. Reach out to the world as a neighbor but support your fellow believer as a brother or sister as that is what we are, family.
