Category Archives: Seeking God

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.

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

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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.

Father / Yahweh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Seeking God

Lifting the Veil that Separates Us from God

There is no more veil between us and God. The veil was removed with the death of Messiah. Scripture confirms this symbolically in the accounts of the tearing of the veil in the tabernacle when Yeshua breathed His last. Through Christ we are invited to have a direct relationship with our heavenly Father. The Spirit dwells within us as believers. This is something we can often take for granted. Think of what it was like for Moses when he looked upon the glory of God. It affected him physically so much that he needed to wear a veil to come before the people because his face literally glowed from the residual glory of God. We should take time to consider how much more so should we reflect the glory of God now that we have direct relationship with the Father.

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

      7But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. 11For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

      12Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, 13and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Take time for thoughtful reflection and prayer… when people look at you and how you are living your life… do they see the glory of God?

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, Merciful, Seeking God, Sin, Submitted / Servant

Sin Separates Us from God, but We Are Offered Mercy and Help

Isaiah 64 preceded the sacrifice of Yeshua on the cross. Though sin still separates us from God, we now have an open invitation through Yeshua to be reconciled with God. We must choose to seek God and His forgiveness.

Isaiah 64

Prayer for Mercy and Help

1Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down,
That the mountains might quake at Your presence—

      2As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—
To make Your name known to Your adversaries,
That the nations may tremble at Your presence!

      3When You did awesome things which we did not expect,
You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.

      4For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear,
Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.

      5You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.
Behold, You were angry, for we sinned,
We continued in them a long time;
And shall we be saved?

      6For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

      7There is no one who calls on Your name,
Who arouses himself to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us
And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities.

      8But now, O LORD, You are our Father,
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all of us are the work of Your hand.

      9Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD,
Nor remember iniquity forever;
Behold, look now, all of us are Your people.

      10Your holy cities have become a wilderness,
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.

      11Our holy and beautiful house,
Where our fathers praised You,
Has been burned by fire;
And all our precious things have become a ruin.

      12Will You restrain Yourself at these things, O LORD?
Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?

Sin separates us from God, but now we have been offered redemption through Yeshua. God has offered His mercy and help. He does not stay angry forever with those who seek Him. Will you accept the free gift of reconciliation with God through Yeshua?

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.

Faithful, Learning To Pray Effectively, Lying / Deceiving, Protector / Deliverer, Seeking God, Wickedness / Evil

Help, O Lord, for the Godly Are Fast Disappearing

I often hear that the world is worse than it has ever been before and is degrading to new levels of wickedness and rejection of God. Though many parts of the world clearly reject God and do indeed appear to be in a period of decline and shift further away from Him, scripture reminds us that the world has always been full of wicked people.

Consider Genesis 6:5-9,

5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord.

9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.

Those who are godly have had cycles where there was revival and then periods of decline to what is essentially a righteous remnant throughout history. Psalm 12 reminds us of another time where those who follow God were grieved by the wickedness of those around them.

Psalm 12

1 Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!
    The faithful have vanished from the earth!
2 Neighbors lie to each other,
    speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
3 May the Lord cut off their flattering lips
    and silence their boastful tongues.
4 They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content.
    Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”

5 The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless,
    and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
    as they have longed for me to do.”
6 The Lord’s promises are pure,
    like silver refined in a furnace,
    purified seven times over.
7 Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed,
    preserving them forever from this lying generation,
8 even though the wicked strut about,
    and evil is praised throughout the land.

As I read Psalm 12, my first reaction is that it may as well have been written about today in the United States of America. Evil is praised throughout the land and the wicked strut about. Every kind of sin and wickedness is tolerated or even praised, but Christians are called intolerant and pressured to be silent. I always find it ironic that those who say Christians should be tolerant of every kind of sin also refuse to tolerate our faith.

I find great comfort in God’s word and it reminds me that God is in control. I pray that true Christians around the world would rise up for their faith and live their lives like they truly serve God rather than blending in with the world. This includes electing godly leaders to political office to stop evil and work for good. When real Christians stand up for what God teaches, we will find revival and reinvigorate the body of Christ and then draw in those who may receive the good news of the gospel.

We must not be afraid to speak the truth, even when it brings controversy. We must instead follow the example of Jesus who spoke directly against sinful and wrong behavior and called people to change… to repent. If the godly are silent, evil prevails.

Take a few minutes in prayer and thank God that He is always with us, even when the world turns from Him. He does not reject those who continue pursuing Him in righteousness.

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.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Heaven and Hell, Prophecy, Seeking God, Through Prophets

In My Favor I Have Compassion on You

There are a few key points I want to highlight about Isaiah 60.

  • For the glory of the LORD to rise upon you, embrace Him with all your life and not just words. Through believers, He will draw many others to Him. We must live out a life set apart from the world which honors God.
  • Ultimately those who serve Him will receive abundance and grace. Those who reject Him will be utterly ruined.
  • Starting in verse 15, we see a view of the future. Christ returns and is our redeemer. There is no violence. The LORD is our everlasting light. All are righteous. What a glorious hope to look forward to.

Isaiah 60

A Glorified Zion

1“Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

      2“For behold, darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the LORD will rise upon you
And His glory will appear upon you.

      3“Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.

      4“Lift up your eyes round about and see;
They all gather together, they come to you.
Your sons will come from afar,
And your daughters will be carried in the arms.

      5“Then you will see and be radiant,
And your heart will thrill and rejoice;
Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you,
The wealth of the nations will come to you.

      6“A multitude of camels will cover you,
The young camels of Midian and Ephah;
All those from Sheba will come;
They will bring gold and frankincense,
And will bear good news of the praises of the LORD.

      7“All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you,
The rams of Nebaioth will minister to you;
They will go up with acceptance on My altar,
And I shall glorify My glorious house.

      8“Who are these who fly like a cloud
And like the doves to their lattices?

      9“Surely the coastlands will wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
To bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them,
For the name of the LORD your God,
And for the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.

      10“Foreigners will build up your walls,
And their kings will minister to you;
For in My wrath I struck you,
And in My favor I have had compassion on you.

      11“Your gates will be open continually;
They will not be closed day or night,
So that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations,
With their kings led in procession.

      12“For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish,
And the nations will be utterly ruined.

      13“The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
The juniper, the box tree and the cypress together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I shall make the place of My feet glorious.

      14“The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you,
And all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet;
And they will call you the city of the LORD,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

      15“Whereas you have been forsaken and hated
With no one passing through,
I will make you an everlasting pride,
A joy from generation to generation.

      16“You will also suck the milk of nations
And suck the breast of kings;
Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

      17“Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
And instead of iron I will bring silver,
And instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
And I will make peace your administrators
And righteousness your overseers.

      18“Violence will not be heard again in your land,
Nor devastation or destruction within your borders;
But you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise.

      19“No longer will you have the sun for light by day,
Nor for brightness will the moon give you light;
But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light,
And your God for your glory.

      20“Your sun will no longer set,
Nor will your moon wane;
For you will have the LORD for an everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning will be over.

      21“Then all your people will be righteous;
They will possess the land forever,
The branch of My planting,
The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified.

      22“The smallest one will become a clan,
And the least one a mighty nation.
I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time.”

Turn wholeheartedly to the LORD even today. His doors of mercy and grace are always ready to receive you.

Take a few minutes in prayer and reflect on the key themes in today’s scripture. Ask God to show you how you should apply it to your life.

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.

 

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.

Consequences of Sin, Learning To Pray Effectively, Psalms, Seeking God, Wickedness / Evil

O Lord, Why Do You Stand So Far Away?

David was a man after God’s own heart. He experienced much hardship, made many mistakes, but consistently repented and turned toward God for forgiveness. He had a close relationship with God. Psalms 10 serves as a good reminder that we may feel that sometimes God is “far away” when we look around at the wickedness in the world and affecting our lives.

Psalms 10

1 O Lord, why do you stand so far away?
    Why do you hide when I am in trouble?
2 The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor.
    Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.
3 For they brag about their evil desires;
    they praise the greedy and curse the Lord.

4 The wicked are too proud to seek God.
    They seem to think that God is dead.
5 Yet they succeed in everything they do.
    They do not see your punishment awaiting them.
    They sneer at all their enemies.
6 They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!
    We will be free of trouble forever!”

7 Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.[a]
    Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.
8 They lurk in ambush in the villages,
    waiting to murder innocent people.
    They are always searching for helpless victims.
9 Like lions crouched in hiding,
    they wait to pounce on the helpless.
Like hunters they capture the helpless
    and drag them away in nets.
10 Their helpless victims are crushed;
    they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.
11 The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us!
    He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!”

12 Arise, O Lord!
    Punish the wicked, O God!
    Do not ignore the helpless!
13 Why do the wicked get away with despising God?
    They think, “God will never call us to account.”
14 But you see the trouble and grief they cause.
    You take note of it and punish them.
The helpless put their trust in you.
    You defend the orphans.

15 Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!
    Go after them until the last one is destroyed.
16 The Lord is king forever and ever!
    The godless nations will vanish from the land.
17 Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.
    Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.
18 You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,
    so mere people can no longer terrify them.

We can be encouraged though, that God is never “far away”. He always hears us. He is always aware of what is happening. We can trust He is in control. We can come before Him and call on Him for help to fight or resist the wicked, to help the helpless. He is able.

Above all, however, we must trust in God even when we may be tempted to think He is detached, or “far away”. His ways are above our ways. His plans are often beyond our understanding and vision. Though David was seeking righteousness, we can also understand that some will envy evildoers. God speaks also about avoiding this view.

Psalms 37:1-3

Do not get upset because of evildoers, do not be envious of wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass, and decay like the green plants. Trust in the LORD and do good; live in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 

Put your trust in God even when you see people “getting away with” whatever bad things they are doing. They may even appear to be prospering financially or in other ways. Trust in God and let that lead your heart and mind. Do what is good in God’s eyes. Give Him thanks for His provision and acknowledge that He is still God, all powerful… all knowing… loving… kind… righteous… holy… etc. His ways are above our ways.

Ultimately, all will stand before God in judgment. No one escapes God’s notice, even if they appear to while in the 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.

Grace / Forgiveness, Seeking God

Our God Restores Our Relationship with Him!

When God is for you, who can be against you? In Isaiah 54 we see God is restoring Israel after a period of punishment. There is great joy and hope in this renewed relationship. There is a promise of growth and prosperity and defense against enemies.

Many of us have difficult pasts where we have sinned against God. Let us be encouraged that we can be forgiven. We can renew our covenant or start fresh for the first time with God even after we have sinned greatly. He forgives. He restores. Through Yeshua, we are all invited to be restored to God and forgiven of our sins. Be hopeful. Draw near to God.

As you read Isaiah 54, realize that God has not changed. He forgives those who repent and will renew His covenant with you. It is not too late. You are not unforgivable. Our God is a God of restoration!

Isaiah 54

The Fertility of Zion

1“Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child;
Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed;
For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous
Than the sons of the married woman,” says the LORD.

      2“Enlarge the place of your tent;
Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not;
Lengthen your cords
And strengthen your pegs.

      3“For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left.
And your descendants will possess nations
And will resettle the desolate cities.

      4“Fear not, for you will not be put to shame;
And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;
But you will forget the shame of your youth,
And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.

      5“For your husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the LORD of hosts;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the God of all the earth.

      6“For the LORD has called you,
Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”
Says your God.

      7“For a brief moment I forsook you,
But with great compassion I will gather you.

      8“In an outburst of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,”
Says the LORD your Redeemer.

      9“For this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would not flood the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
Nor will I rebuke you.

      10“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
Says the LORD who has compassion on you.

      11“O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,
Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
And your foundations I will lay in sapphires.

      12“Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies,
And your gates of crystal,
And your entire wall of precious stones.

      13“All your sons will be taught of the LORD;
And the well-being of your sons will be great.

      14“In righteousness you will be established;
You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear;
And from terror, for it will not come near you.

      15“If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me.
Whoever assails you will fall because of you.

      16“Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals
And brings out a weapon for its work;
And I have created the destroyer to ruin.

      17“No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.

Come before the LORD in prayer for a few minutes right now. Ask Him to forgive you through Yeshua and commit to living His way. Thank Him for forgiveness and mercy and restoration. Trust in 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.

Learning To Pray Effectively, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Psalms, Seeking God

God Is My Protector and My Refuge

So many of the Psalms remind us to seek protection and safety in God. We are reminded that David, though a man after God’s own heart, had many trials in his life. David consistently turned toward God when He was enduring hard times. We should also go to God for help during adversity and storms in our lives.

Psalm 7

1 I come to you for protection, O Lord my God.
    Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!
2 If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion,
    tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done wrong
    or am guilty of injustice,
4 if I have betrayed a friend
    or plundered my enemy without cause,
5 then let my enemies capture me.
    Let them trample me into the ground
    and drag my honor in the dust. Interlude

6 Arise, O Lord, in anger!
    Stand up against the fury of my enemies!
    Wake up, my God, and bring justice!
7 Gather the nations before you.
    Rule over them from on high.
8     The Lord judges the nations.
Declare me righteous, O Lord,
    for I am innocent, O Most High!
9 End the evil of those who are wicked,
    and defend the righteous.
For you look deep within the mind and heart,
    O righteous God.

10 God is my shield,
    saving those whose hearts are true and right.
11 God is an honest judge.
    He is angry with the wicked every day.

12 If a person does not repent,
    God[b] will sharpen his sword;
    he will bend and string his bow.
13 He will prepare his deadly weapons
    and shoot his flaming arrows.

14 The wicked conceive evil;
    they are pregnant with trouble
    and give birth to lies.
15 They dig a deep pit to trap others,
    then fall into it themselves.
16 The trouble they make for others backfires on them.
    The violence they plan falls on their own heads.

17 I will thank the Lord because he is just;
    I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

When David sang this psalm before God he was clearly undergoing significant adversity and felt confident that he was innocent of any wrongdoing.  Once again we are reminded that we will endure many hardships in this life, even when we have a genuine heart for God.

David ends by singing out that he will thank God and sing praise to Him, even while he is still in the midst of the trials. David had strong faith and trust in God. David knew God was bigger than any difficulty he was experiencing. David was a man after God’s own heart.

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.