Category Archives: Repenting from Sin

All Powerful / King of All, Discipline / Guidance From God, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Slow to Anger, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

God Calls Us Back to Him; If We Don’t Listen, He Calls Louder

God loves His people, and He always has. He wants us to be in a righteous relationship with Him, living according to His instructions. Like we do for our children, He warns us when we stray from Him. If we do not listen, He disciplines us… because He loves us.

We do well to listen to His call and change our ways before He needs to escalate the situation to get our attention.

Jeremiah 6

Destruction of Jerusalem Impending

1“Flee for safety, O sons of Benjamin,
From the midst of Jerusalem!
Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa
And raise a signal over Beth-haccerem;
For evil looks down from the north,
And a great destruction.

      2“The comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion, I will cut off.

      3“Shepherds and their flocks will come to her,
They will pitch their tents around her,
They will pasture each in his place.

      4“Prepare war against her;
Arise, and let us attack at noon.
Woe to us, for the day declines,
For the shadows of the evening lengthen!

      5“Arise, and let us attack by night
And destroy her palaces!”

6For thus says the LORD of hosts,
“Cut down her trees
And cast up a siege against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
In whose midst there is only oppression.

      7“As a well keeps its waters fresh,
So she keeps fresh her wickedness.
Violence and destruction are heard in her;
Sickness and wounds are ever before Me.

      8“Be warned, O Jerusalem,
Or I shall be alienated from you,
And make you a desolation,
A land not inhabited.”

      9Thus says the LORD of hosts,
“They will thoroughly glean as the vine the remnant of Israel;
Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer
Over the branches.”

      10To whom shall I speak and give warning
That they may hear?
Behold, their ears are closed
And they cannot listen.
Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.

      11But I am full of the wrath of the LORD;
I am weary with holding it in.
“Pour it out on the children in the street
And on the gathering of young men together;
For both husband and wife shall be taken,
The aged and the very old.

      12“Their houses shall be turned over to others,
Their fields and their wives together;
For I will stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the LORD.

      13“For from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is greedy for gain,
And from the prophet even to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.

      14“They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.

      15“Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done?
They were not even ashamed at all;
They did not even know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time that I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says the LORD.

      16Thus says the LORD,
“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
And you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

      17“And I set watchmen over you, saying,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not listen.’

      18“Therefore hear, O nations,
And know, O congregation, what is among them.

      19“Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people,
The fruit of their plans,
Because they have not listened to My words,
And as for My law, they have rejected it also.

      20“For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba
And the sweet cane from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable
And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.”

21Therefore, thus says the LORD,
“Behold, I am laying stumbling blocks before this people.
And they will stumble against them,
Fathers and sons together;
Neighbor and friend will perish.”

The Enemy from the North

22Thus says the LORD,
“Behold, a people is coming from the north land,
And a great nation will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.

      23“They seize bow and spear;
They are cruel and have no mercy;
Their voice roars like the sea,
And they ride on horses,
Arrayed as a man for the battle
Against you, O daughter of Zion!”

      24We have heard the report of it;
Our hands are limp.
Anguish has seized us,
Pain as of a woman in childbirth.

      25Do not go out into the field
And do not walk on the road,
For the enemy has a sword,
Terror is on every side.

      26O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth
And roll in ashes;
Mourn as for an only son,
A lamentation most bitter.
For suddenly the destroyer
Will come upon us.

      27“I have made you an assayer and a tester among My people,
That you may know and assay their way.”

      28All of them are stubbornly rebellious,
Going about as a talebearer.
They are bronze and iron;
They, all of them, are corrupt.

      29The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
In vain the refining goes on,
But the wicked are not separated.

      30They call them rejected silver,
Because the LORD has rejected them.

Answer God’s call for you in your life. Listen for His guidance and His warnings. Turn away from sin and turn toward His righteous ways. Do not ignore His call. Do not require Him to escalate things to get your attention.

Praise Him that He loves us enough to care for us and even to discipline us. He helps us come back to Him if we stray.

Shalom.

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Justice / Judgment, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Slow to Anger, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

God Is a Righteous Judge; the Judgment We Receive Depends on How We Live

We should not expect that we can reject God, live without Him, and then not receive judgment at some point for doing so. It may or may not be in our current lives, but judgment will certainly come when we die or when Christ returns. We may receive judgment and consequences in our lives as well.  If you experience this in your life, take it as a reminder and a gift that calls you back to the LORD so you will be in a good relationship with Him when you meet Him for final judgment.

Jeremiah 5

Jerusalem’s Godlessness

1“Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
And look now and take note.
And seek in her open squares,
If you can find a man,
If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth,
Then I will pardon her.

      2“And although they say, ‘As the LORD lives,’
Surely they swear falsely.”

      3O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth?
You have smitten them,
But they did not weaken;
You have consumed them,
But they refused to take correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
They have refused to repent.

      4Then I said, “They are only the poor,
They are foolish;
For they do not know the way of the LORD
Or the ordinance of their God.

      5“I will go to the great
And will speak to them,
For they know the way of the LORD
And the ordinance of their God.”
But they too, with one accord, have broken the yoke
And burst the bonds.

      6Therefore a lion from the forest will slay them,
A wolf of the deserts will destroy them,
A leopard is watching their cities.
Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces,
Because their transgressions are many,
Their apostasies are numerous.

      7“Why should I pardon you?
Your sons have forsaken Me
And sworn by those who are not gods.
When I had fed them to the full,
They committed adultery
And trooped to the harlot’s house.

      8“They were well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife.

      9“Shall I not punish these people,” declares the LORD,
“And on a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?

      10“Go up through her vine rows and destroy,
But do not execute a complete destruction;
Strip away her branches,
For they are not the LORD’S.

      11“For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the LORD.

      12They have lied about the LORD
And said, “Not He;
Misfortune will not come on us,
And we will not see sword or famine.

      13“The prophets are as wind,
And the word is not in them.
Thus it will be done to them!”

Judgment Proclaimed

14Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts,
“Because you have spoken this word,
Behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire
And this people wood, and it will consume them.

      15“Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD.
“It is an enduring nation,
It is an ancient nation,
A nation whose language you do not know,
Nor can you understand what they say.

      16“Their quiver is like an open grave,
All of them are mighty men.

      17“They will devour your harvest and your food;
They will devour your sons and your daughters;
They will devour your flocks and your herds;
They will devour your vines and your fig trees;
They will demolish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.

      18“Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make you a complete destruction. 19“It shall come about when they say, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

      20“Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,

      21‘Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
Who have eyes but do not see;
Who have ears but do not hear.

      22‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the LORD.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it.
Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.

      23‘But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and departed.

      24‘They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the LORD our God,
Who gives rain in its season,
Both the autumn rain and the spring rain,
Who keeps for us
The appointed weeks of the harvest.”

      25‘Your iniquities have turned these away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.

      26‘For wicked men are found among My people,
They watch like fowlers lying in wait;
They set a trap,
They catch men.

      27‘Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.

      28‘They are fat, they are sleek,
They also excel in deeds of wickedness;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the orphan, that they may prosper;
And they do not defend the rights of the poor.

      29‘Shall I not punish these people?’ declares the LORD,
‘On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?’

      30“An appalling and horrible thing
Has happened in the land:

      31The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule on their own authority;
And My people love it so!
But what will you do at the end of it?

As I read, I can easily slip into a mindset that thinks He may as well be talking about our nation today. People declare His name, but do not follow Him. People are living in sin and putting other things in their heart where only God should be. Take this warning. Understand how God feels about us and our nation when we reject Him. Let that motivate you to rededicate yourself to God. Ask Him to show you any areas where you need to make changes in your life… your attitudes or actions.

Give Him thanks for His patience and for his word to guide us.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Justice / Judgment, Protector / Deliverer, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Turn Fully to God and His Ways; Don’t Wait for Difficulty to Drive You There

God wants to bring His people back to Him. He often warns them of impending difficulty He will bring and calls them to repent without needing it to be delivered. All too often, His people do not listen. Then He needs to bring about the hardship or remove His protection to help draw His people back to Him. We read about this in Jeremiah 4.

We may not face war and invasion in our lives, but the concept is often the same. We allow ourselves to drift from God. He wants to be in a relationship with us. He may call us back to Him, and if we don’t listen, He will remove His protection or bring challenges upon us so that we will seek Him again. How much more glorious if we choose to seek Him without having to go through the suffering first!

Jeremiah 4

Judah Threatened with Invasion

1“If you will return, O Israel,” declares the LORD,
“Then you should return to Me.
And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,
And will not waver,

      2And you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’
In truth, in justice and in righteousness;
Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they will glory.”

      3For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,
“Break up your fallow ground,
And do not sow among thorns.

      4“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD
And remove the foreskins of your heart,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Or else My wrath will go forth like fire
And burn with none to quench it,
Because of the evil of your deeds.”

      5Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
“Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry aloud and say,
‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go
Into the fortified cities.’

      6“Lift up a standard toward Zion!
Seek refuge, do not stand still,
For I am bringing evil from the north,
And great destruction.

      7“A lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To make your land a waste.
Your cities will be ruins
Without inhabitant.

      8“For this, put on sackcloth,
Lament and wail;
For the fierce anger of the LORD
Has not turned back from us.”

9“It shall come about in that day,” declares the LORD, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded.”

      10Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace’; whereas a sword touches the throat.”

      11In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12a wind too strong for this—will come at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.

      13“Behold, he goes up like clouds,
And his chariots like the whirlwind;
His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are ruined!”

      14Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,
That you may be saved.
How long will your wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?

      15For a voice declares from Dan,
And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.

      16“Report it to the nations, now!
Proclaim over Jerusalem,
‘Besiegers come from a far country,
And lift their voices against the cities of Judah.

      17‘Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about,
Because she has rebelled against Me,’ declares the LORD.

      18“Your ways and your deeds
Have brought these things to you.
This is your evil. How bitter!
How it has touched your heart!”

Lament over Judah’s Devastation

19My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart!
My heart is pounding in me;
I cannot be silent,
Because you have heard, O my soul,
The sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.

      20Disaster on disaster is proclaimed,
For the whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my tents are devastated,
My curtains in an instant.

      21How long must I see the standard
And hear the sound of the trumpet?

      22“For My people are foolish,
They know Me not;
They are stupid children
And have no understanding.
They are shrewd to do evil,
But to do good they do not know.”

      23I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void;
And to the heavens, and they had no light.

      24I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking,
And all the hills moved to and fro.

      25I looked, and behold, there was no man,
And all the birds of the heavens had fled.

      26I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness,
And all its cities were pulled down
Before the LORD, before His fierce anger.

      27For thus says the LORD,
“The whole land shall be a desolation,
Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.

      28“For this the earth shall mourn
And the heavens above be dark,
Because I have spoken, I have purposed,
And I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it.”

      29At the sound of the horseman and bowman every city flees;
They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks;
Every city is forsaken,
And no man dwells in them.

      30And you, O desolate one, what will you do?
Although you dress in scarlet,
Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold,
Although you enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you make yourself beautiful.
Your lovers despise you;
They seek your life.

      31For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor,
The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,
The cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath,
Stretching out her hands, saying,
“Ah, woe is me, for I faint before murderers.”

Turn back to God. Do not force Him to do something harsh to get your attention. Joyfully seek Him. Let go of those things which separate you from Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Repenting from Sin, Seeking God

God Invites Repentance

God’s people as a whole seem to repeatedly be unfaithful to Him over time. That is not to say there is not a righteous remnant, but many of God’s people turn from Him and His instructions and are unfaithful spiritually, pursuing other beliefs about how they should live and how they should be in a relationship with God. They don’t recognize their unfaithfulness. They feel no shame. But they still come to Him for help. He will not remain angry forever, but He does want us to acknowledge our sins, turn from them, and renew our faithfulness in Him.

Jeremiah 3 provides a good example, but it applies even today among those who claim to be God’s people.

Jeremiah 3

The Polluted Land

1God says, “If a husband divorces his wife
And she goes from him
And belongs to another man,
Will he still return to her?
Will not that land be completely polluted?
But you are a harlot with many lovers;
Yet you turn to Me,” declares the LORD.

      2“Lift up your eyes to the bare heights and see;
Where have you not been violated?
By the roads you have sat for them
Like an Arab in the desert,
And you have polluted a land
With your harlotry and with your wickedness.

      3“Therefore the showers have been withheld,
And there has been no spring rain.
Yet you had a harlot’s forehead;
You refused to be ashamed.

      4“Have you not just now called to Me,
‘My Father, You are the friend of my youth?

      5‘Will He be angry forever?
Will He be indignant to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken
And have done evil things,
And you have had your way.”

Faithless Israel

      6Then the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. 7“I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8“And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. 9“Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. 10“Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception,” declares the LORD.

God Invites Repentance

      11And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.

12“Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,
‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD;
‘I will not look upon you in anger.
For I am gracious,’ declares the LORD;
‘I will not be angry forever.

      13‘Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the LORD your God
And have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the LORD.

      14‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the LORD;
‘For I am a master to you,
And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
And I will bring you to Zion.’

      15“Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. 16“It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land,” declares the LORD, “they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. 17“At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the LORD,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. 18“In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.

      19“Then I said,
‘How I would set you among My sons
And give you a pleasant land,
The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’
And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father,
And not turn away from following Me.’

      20“Surely, as a woman treacherously departs from her lover,
So you have dealt treacherously with Me,
O house of Israel,” declares the LORD.

      21A voice is heard on the bare heights,
The weeping and the supplications of the sons of Israel;
Because they have perverted their way,
They have forgotten the LORD their God.

      22“Return, O faithless sons,
I will heal your faithlessness.”
“Behold, we come to You;
For You are the LORD our God.

      23“Surely, the hills are a deception,
A tumult on the mountains.
Surely in the LORD our God
Is the salvation of Israel.

      24“But the shameful thing has consumed the labor of our fathers since our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25“Let us lie down in our shame, and let our humiliation cover us; for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day. And we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.”

Take this message to heart. Are there things you need to repent from and change to turn back to God with your whole heart? Do it. He will help you with your faithfulness if you return humbly and acknowledge your sins.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Consequences of Sin, Guide, Help / Serve Others, Love, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin

Sometimes the Truth Hurts, but We Still Need to Hear It

Sorrow has its place in this world where it can be a force for good. Not all sorrow is bad. When we sin against the Father we should be rebuked by our fellow followers of Christ, with scripture as the basis and the unchanging standard.  If we have done or are doing wrong, then we should come to a point of sorrow if we truly love Christ. He gave all for us and we should be devoted disciples (“learners”) who seek to live after His example rather than living according to our own selfish desires.

Let us take care to learn from Paul’s letters a powerful lesson about truly loving one another. Loving one another does not mean we accept each others’ sin and call no one to change. Loving one another often means lovingly, respectfully, and firmly rebuking or correcting one another as followers of Christ, based on scripture, so that we may feel bad about our sins and our self and that it may lead to a wondrous work of repentance in us.

2 Corinthians 7

Paul Reveals His Heart

     1Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

      2Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one. 3I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. 4Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.

      5For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. 6But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; 7and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more. 8For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. 13For this reason we have been comforted.
And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth. 15His affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you.

We are called to love one another and that includes correction when we stray from God’s word in our lives. We must not be so afraid of hurting someone’s feelings or offending them that we let them drift away from closeness to God and into sin. We would not consider it love to leave children alone to play in a busy street, would we? Neither do we love our brothers and sisters in Christ by allowing them to embrace and accept or even normalize sin in their lives and in the church.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Grace / Forgiveness, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Justice / Judgment, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God

The Message of the Cross – Salvation Through Yeshua (Jesus)

God’s instruction to us is so complete and relevant that a scholar could spend a lifetime studying it, yet so simple that a child can understand it and come to a personal relationship with Christ.

The message of the cross, of Yeshua, is perhaps best summarized in the words of Yeshua and Paul, and Passover is a wonderful time to reflect on the sacrifice of Yeshua for our sins and our invitation to receive salvation through Him. (To study more on Passover or Feast of Unleavened Bread and how it relates to salvation through Yeshua, visit our teaching on Celebrating God’s Holy Days (Moedim) and the other resources linked there.)

John 3:16-21

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His [e]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the [f]only begotten Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Let us take care to understand properly in context the word “believe”. I believe that Greenland exists, but it has no impact on my life. Many believe that Yeshua was a true historical figure, but they do not live according to His instructions. Many even believe Yeshua was Messiah, in an academic sense, but they do not submit to Him and live His way. If we truly believe that Yeshua Messiah, God, then we should submit to Him and the evidence should be demonstrated in our changed life through actions and attitudes that are increasingly more like Him and less like our old selves.

James 2:14-20

     14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

      18But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

Some ask…”What is sin?” or “How can I know if I have sinned?” People are inherently sinful, not good. Sin separates us from God. The Bible tells us that “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” [Romans 3:23]

Have you ever broken one of God’s commandments [Exodus 20:1-17]? Yeshua makes clear that God’s standard goes beyond committing the physical acts but even includes the heart and mind. To hold anger against someone is to commit murder. To have lustful thoughts is to commit adultery. [Matthew 5:21-48]

God is love, but He is also holy and just. A price must be paid for our sins. It can not be ignored. We are not able to pay the price ourselves because we are not worthy. Our sins are so ugly before God that the penalty of sin is death.

God so loved the world that He became man in the person of Yeshua, living a sinless life, and suffered and died for our sins. He was buried and rose again.  He has overcome death and gives us a path to eternal life through accepting Jesus as Lord.

The work of the cross has already been completed. The price has been paid for your sins and mine. We must each individually repent of our sins before God. This means we must turn away from them, not just feel bad about them and keep sinning. We accept Him as Lord, submitting our lives fully to Him. We cannot call Him Lord and then only submit to Him part way. If He is Lord we must submit to Him all the way. This is evidenced by a change in our thoughts and behaviors. We become different from the world. We do not rationalize and accept even some of our sin but rather reject it and seek to follow God.  It is not enough to call ourselves Christians and go to church. We must fully submit to God.

Romans 10

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. 3 For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the [a]end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is [b]based on law shall live [c]by that righteousness. 6 But the righteousness [d]based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 [e]that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, [f]resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, [g]resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be [h]disappointed.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who [i]bring good news of good things!”

16 However, they did not all heed the [j]good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word [k]of Christ.

18 But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;

“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the [l]world.”

19 But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation,
By a nation without understanding will I anger you.”

20 And Isaiah is very bold and says,

“I was found by those who did not seek Me,
I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

21 But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

Many will reject the message, but we are called to preach it to all the world. We as believers must not be silent or no one will hear the true word of God. If they do not hear it, they can not accept it and be saved.

If you have never submitted to Yeshua as Lord, please pray with me the following, but pray genuinely with your heart because it is not about the specific words but the condition of the heart and submission to God.

Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Yeshua. I admit that I have done wrong and ask your forgiveness. I believe in my heart that Yeshua died for my sin and that you raised Him from the dead. I ask Yeshua into my heart as Lord over my life. Help me to change my attitude and behavior to turn away from my own ways and the world’s ways and instead turn toward You and live the way You teach as revealed in Your word, the Bible. Help me to gladly and boldly proclaim Jesus publicly in my life. Thank you, God, for saving me.

This is not all there is! This is but the beginning… the doorway. Once you pass through this doorway you submit your whole life to Yeshua. It requires a combination of Intellect (knowing God), Emotion (loving God and fearing God), and Will (choosing to do His will instead of our own). It is an ongoing decision in our lives that starts us on a journey to know God more intimately and to obey Him more completely. It requires study and prayer and action. It is a journey we never finish in this life, but it transforms us along the way to be more and more like Yeshua.

If you made this decision today, we encourage you to reach out to us or others in the body of Christ so that we can welcome you as well as pray for you and provide more information and encouragement for your life changing decision. You can reach us through our Contact Us page.

Tell others you know have already accepted Yeshua as their Lord and Savior. Tell them of your decision to follow Him. Look to connect with a mentor who has a mature relationship with Yeshua and/or a local group of followers of Yeshua. Discern based on actions and attitudes of the people rather than what they call themselves. Don’t just assume someone who calls themselves “Christian” is the right connection. Compare to the written word in the Bible and pray for wisdom.

Why is it important to declare Yeshua as Lord publicly? He said so.

Matthew 10:32-33 32 “Therefore everyone who [z]confesses Me before men, I will also confess [aa]him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever [ab]denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

Also, connecting with other disciples (or learners) of Yeshua and publicly declaring your decision to follow Him can help provide important support from others to help you on your journey. Remember, many who reject Yeshua will try to talk you out of submitting to Him and following Him. Some even do this while claiming to follow Him. Pray God will guide you to and connect you with the fellowship of true brothers and sisters in Yeshua that will help you to continue your lifelong journey to know, love, and serve our savior and messiah!

We invite you to study the Bible with us daily through our devotions via email, Facebook, or on our website Latest Devotions page. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) has developed and shared the following wonderful tools to help new believers get started. (Steps to Peace God and Living In Christ)

If you have questions or want to know more, please Contact Us.

Understanding what the law means to us today can be confusing and requires careful study. In Romans 10:3-5, above, Paul is not saying Jesus came to change the law or abolish the law. Paul is specifically referring to the aspect of the law in which we are to be made right with God. Instead of being made right with God through perfect execution of the law, or through sacrifices and through the earthly priesthood, we are made right with God through Jesus Christ. John 3:16-18 confirms that Jesus came not to redefine sin or redefine God’s instruction by which we are to live (e.g. the law of God) but rather to address the judgment for our sin when we fall short of fully living up to God’s standard.  Jesus did not end the law, which shows us how to live according to God’s instruction, but rather to provide a way for us to be reconciled to God when we fall short of perfectly executing God’s law. For more, please read our message onUnderstanding The Law – What Does It Mean For Us Today?

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

How do I get started?, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Repenting from Sin

Repent of Your Sins and Turn to God

After successfully overcoming temptation by Satan, recorded in Matthew 4, Jesus began His public ministry.

Ever stop to think about what message was so fundamental and important that Jesus would speak about it first?  Matthew 4:17 gives that insight.

 17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.[g]”

Try not to read over it too quickly. Better to dwell on it.  Scripture does not say Jesus said this once, but rather “From then on…”. Jesus started with this key message and stayed on this point through His entire ministry.

We need to follow His example throughout our lives as well. God wants us first to repent, then to turn to Him humbly and seek Him wholeheartedly.

Some people struggle with the end of this verse, “… for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” since Jesus said it two thousand years ago. We could have a good debate on it and I look forward to sharing more on that topic another time.  However, here is practical way to consider application.

Approximately 148,000 people around the world die every day. That equates to a pace of over 50 million people a year. For each of those who perished, they no longer have a chance to repent and turn to Jesus. Those who accepted Jesus wholeheartedly before they died are with Him in heaven.  Those who did not are in hell, eternally separated from God.

The point is that time may be short for each of us. Now is the time to repent and turn to God. None of us are promised a tomorrow on this world.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Learning To Pray Effectively, Psalms, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God

Who May Enter Your Presence, Lord?

Sin creates a barrier that separates us from God. God is holy. When we try to come into His presence with unrepentant sin in our lives we will not be able to have the same relationship with Him as those who are repentant from sin and seeking to submit and follow God with their lives.

Psalm 15

1 Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?
    Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?
2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,
    speaking the truth from sincere hearts.
3 Those who refuse to gossip
    or harm their neighbors
    or speak evil of their friends.
4 Those who despise flagrant sinners,
    and honor the faithful followers of the Lord,
    and keep their promises even when it hurts.
5 Those who lend money without charging interest,
    and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.
Such people will stand firm forever.

God calls us to avoid gossip and speaking evil of our neighbors and friends. We are to keep promises even when it hurts. We are to avoid lying and bribery.

This scripture also highlights that we are to “despise flagrant sinners”. That means we are not supposed accept it when people identify themselves by their sin and publicly insist everyone accept them and their sin as inseparable and thus rationalize the sin as acceptable.

In some cases this is obvious and our culture still sees clearly. We do not encourage or accept drunkenness as acceptable behavior… telling people that God made them that way so they should keep on drinking. Similar logic appears clearly accepted regarding those who lie and those who steal as well.  We still identify those behaviors as bad and encourage people to change.

Unfortunately, though, it is becoming much more common to excuse sin on the basis of “God made me this way. God is love. God must be ok with this behavior. Thus everyone else should accept it or they are my enemy.” This approach is very common today for sins like gluttony and homosexual behavior, etc. This rationalization for sin is a lie from Satan. Every sin could be approached this way and thus the same argument made to accept it. That is why we are to reject those who flagrantly sin.  Accepting and rationalizing sin leads to accepting and rationalizing more sin. We continue to get further from God. God calls us to turn away from our sin nature and seek to live according to His word.

The difference is not in the sin… we all sin. The difference is in whether we repent and seek to change our sinful behaviors or seek instead to accept our sin and convince others they should accept it also.

Instead we are called by God to “honor the faithful followers of the Lord”. Those who stand up for God’s way… righteousness, repentance from sin rather than acceptance of it, honesty, avoiding bribes, helping those in need unselfishly. Too often in our world today, it is exactly these people that will be attacked and persecuted by the flagrant sinners and by government laws that accept everything except a genuine Christian openly standing for Christ.

God calls us to serve Him despite adversity and despite people coming against us and threatening us to conform to the ways of the world or be silent. We can trust in God and submit to Him to be lord of our lives.

Praise God that He gives us His instruction in the Bible regarding right and wrong! We are not left at the whim of public opinion or government to decide what is right and what is wrong. If we study it, understanding context of culture and time on the scripture, and submit to God prayerfully seeking His guidance through the Holy Spirit, we can see clearly.

Shalom. Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Compassionate, Faithful, Grace / Forgiveness, Humility, Loving / Kind, Protector / Deliverer, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God

He Is Ready to Show Grace, if You Are Ready to Repent

Grace is giving someone what they do not deserve. God tells us repeatedly in the Bible that He wants to show us grace, but will wait on us to turn toward Him in genuine repentance.

Isaiah 30 is an impactful scripture about God’s grace following the sin of His people.  I encourage you to click the link and read all of it for full context. The first seven verses reveal how the people of Judah turned away from God and made a treaty with Egypt for protection instead of trusting God. Verses 8-11 reveal how the people have rejected God’s messengers who bring His instruction.  Verses 12-17 tell how futile and worthless is the path the people chose instead of following God’s instructions. It will not serve them well.  And in the center of this outright rebellion toward God, God still offers grace when the people repent starting in verse 18. But they must turn to Him.

Isaiah 30:18-26

18 So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.

19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. 20 Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. 22 Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags,
saying to them, “Good riddance!”

23 Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock. 24 The oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat good grain, its chaff blown away by the wind. 25 In that day, when your enemies are slaughtered and the towers fall, there will be streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill. 26 The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days in one! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and cure the wounds he gave them.

Anyone who expects God to be gracious while still openly rejecting and rebelling against Him will be disappointed. God is willing to extend grace, but we must turn toward Him with genuine repentance.  God is waiting for us to come to Him and His grace is truly wonderful.

Take time in prayer right now and accept and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. Come humbly toward Him with repentance and receive His love and compassion.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Mercy, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Self Control, Teachable

Clothe Yourselves with Mercy, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, and Patience.

As Christians we are called to be a light to the world. To show others the path to Jesus Christ. All too often non Christians cannot tell the difference between Christians and the world by looking at how we live. Paul provides a meaningful call to action on how we should be living.

Colossians 3:1-17.

3 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your[a] life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,[c] circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized,[d] slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

It is difficult to add anything to such a well written passage. This is a scripture to dwell on and not to skim. I hope and pray you reflect on it and challenge yourself to answer the call that Paul (and Jesus) have extended to us in this scripture.