Category Archives: Fear / Reverence for God

He Who Is Forgiven Much, Loves Much

We are all subject to the natural tendency to rationalize our decisions or behaviors. While we may judge clearly or even too harshly when we consider others, our natural tendency is to “give ourselves the benefit of the doubt” when judging our own actions. Perhaps another way of saying it… we judge others by actions and judge ourselves by intentions.

Let us take caution, however. Fully accepting and “owning” our mistakes and failures and bringing them before the Lord asking forgiveness will actually bring us into closer relationship with Him. He who is forgiven much, loves much. Let us not rationalize away the things for which we need to be forgiven and for which we need to repent. Let us come openly and humbly before the Lord and submit ourselves to Him.

Luke 7:36-50

    36Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

Parable of Two Debtors

     40And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” 41“A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42“When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” 43Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45“You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46“You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

I can look back in my own life and see a time, long ago, when I first really transitioned from the attitude of “I am doing pretty well, better than most” to one of “I have sinned and cannot reconcile my actions as acceptable according God’s word”. Truly it was transformational in my relationship with the Lord. It was then that I experienced mercy and grace and forgiveness. As long as I convinced myself I was “good enough”, I did not need to rely on God but could get along fine by myself. Truth be known, I was fooling myself the whole way. Of course I was a sinner in need of a savior! We all are! As I came to know I needed forgiveness my love for Him grew dramatically as I then appreciated His sacrifice for my sin.

Take care to accept accountability for and repent from your sins. Bring them before the Lord with humble and repentant heart. Submit to Him as Lord and ask forgiveness. Let your future actions reflect your love for Him through your obedience to Him. Enjoy who our Savior is and how He loves us.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Submitting to and Accepting the Lord’s Will

In Numbers 22 and 23, Balak tried over and over to get Balaam to curse Israel. He tried with money and from different angles and locations. Balaam consistently indicated he could only bless or curse according to the Lord. The power comes from the Lord and he could not just pick or force God to act in a way contrary to what God decides. Balak was clearly used to getting his way and was persistent. However, each time Balaam would ask the Lord about it, he would be instructed to bless rather than curse Israel, resulting in multiple blessings for Israel.

In Numbers 24 we see that Balaam finally has a clear understanding of what God’s position is on the subject. He no longer even seeks “omens” to discern God’s will in hopes or thoughts that it will bring back a different answer. Now, he is confident in the Lord’s decision and that it will not change. Balaam has accepted it and embraced it. Having done so, the Spirit of God came upon Him.

Numbers 24

The Prophecy from Peor

     1When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to seek omens but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

3He took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened;

      4The oracle of him who hears the words of God,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,

      5How fair are your tents, O Jacob,
Your dwellings, O Israel!

      6“Like valleys that stretch out,
Like gardens beside the river,
Like aloes planted by the LORD,
Like cedars beside the waters.

      7“Water will flow from his buckets,
And his seed will be by many waters,
And his king shall be higher than Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.

      8“God brings him out of Egypt,
He is for him like the horns of the wild ox.
He will devour the nations who are his adversaries,
And will crush their bones in pieces,
And shatter them with his arrows.

      9“He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
And cursed is everyone who curses you.”

      10Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times! 11“Therefore, flee to your place now. I said I would honor you greatly, but behold, the LORD has held you back from honor.” 12Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you had sent to me, saying, 13‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the command of the LORD, either good or bad, of my own accord. What the LORD speaks, that I will speak’? 14“And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”

      15He took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

      16The oracle of him who hears the words of God,
And knows the knowledge of the Most High,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered.

      17“I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A star shall come forth from Jacob,
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall crush through the forehead of Moab,
And tear down all the sons of Sheth.

      18“Edom shall be a possession,
Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession,
While Israel performs valiantly.

      19“One from Jacob shall have dominion,
And will destroy the remnant from the city.”

      20And he looked at Amalek and took up his discourse and said,
“Amalek was the first of the nations,
But his end shall be destruction.”

      21And he looked at the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said,
“Your dwelling place is enduring,
And your nest is set in the cliff.

      22“Nevertheless Kain will be consumed;
How long will Asshur keep you captive?”

      23Then he took up his discourse and said,
“Alas, who can live except God has ordained it?

      24“But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim,
And they shall afflict Asshur and will afflict Eber;
So they also will come to destruction.”

      25Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.

Let us challenge ourselves to seek out the Lord and submit to His instruction rather than holding to our own. Balak demonstrates the futility of trying to constantly manipulate or coerce God to a different position based on location or other details of how we ask. We can not control God. We can, as His children, come before Him and ask and even ask multiple times, but we should do so with a submitted heart which accepts what He tells us. Let us not keep trying to manipulate the outcome, but rather have a genuine heart to heart relationship with the Lord. Once we see the Lord has spoken clearly and consistently on an issue, it is good for us to follow the example of Balaam and focus on accepting or embracing His decision rather than continuing to ask for a different answer over and over.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

What Do Your Build Your Life Upon?

We should each pause long enough from our busy schedules to prayerfully consider what we are building our lives upon. Take care not to gloss over this question. It is easy to just quickly declare we are living for the Lord and not really ask Him if to show us if that is true. Note that Jesus indicates the listeners are calling Him Lord, but not really obeying what He tells them to do. Many today make this very same mistake. Do we truly do what He says? Have we taken the time to study His word personally and pray to understand what He says? or are we only listening to what others tell us He says?

If we build our lives upon anything but Jesus Christ, then we will certainly fail… in this life and in the next.

Luke 6:46-49

Builders and Foundations

     46“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49“But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

I urge each of us to not ignore that many who declare they follow Jesus are actually not doing so… and many of those don’t even realize it. Don’t just glaze over this. Stop. Study. Pray. Listen.

It is not enough to say we follow the Lord and not do so.  Ignorance of His instruction is not an excuse for disobeying Him any more than it would be for a wife who never bothers to understand what her husband asks of her (or the other way around). The relationship is still broken and distant. The questions will remain… “Why did we not take time to study His word, ask for His guidance, listen and then obey? What were we so busy doing so as not to know and obey Him?”

Matthew 7:21-23

     21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Whom Does Yeshua Choose As Disciples?

Luke provides an account in chapter 5 of the first disciples whom Jesus selected. Clearly the Lord knows the hearts of men beyond what we could guess from observing their actions. Further, once again we see that His ways are not our ways.

By what human logic would you select men who were busy fishing and not even there to listen to Jesus teach? By what logic would we choose uneducated fishermen instead of “trained” priests, or seminary students in today’s vernacular. Never the less, Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus) made His selection and made it well.

Yeshua spoke to these fishermen through what they were most familiar with… a miracle associated with catching fish! It reached them to the core more effectively than a beautiful sermon ever could at that time. He knew just how to get their attention and keep it. He was not guessing… He knows the hearts and minds of men.

These men had no illusion that they were good or worthy… they fell at His feet and declared themselves unworthy. They were sinful men and they knew it.

These are the men whom Jesus chose… uneducated sinners who were not apparently even seeking to hear His message, but whom He could reach in such a way that they were willing to walk away from everything to follow Him and were later (with the help of the Holy Spirit) willing to die to share the good news of Yeshua the Messiah with others.

Luke 5:1-11

The First Disciples

     1Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; 2and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. 4When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

We do well to measure ourselves against this standard as self declared followers of Yeshua.

Are we willing to leave everything to follow and proclaim the good news of Christ freely and boldly… to learn more about Him and transform our lives to be more like His? This is hard to be sure… but many or most are not even called to leave behind everything. We are often called to submit to Him, seek Him, proclaim Him and be willing to be criticized for His name sake right where we are or somewhere nearby, where we need not leave our family. However, we must listen to His direction and use discernment as sometimes it is best to leave behind past relationships that are not God honoring to have a clean break with sinful habits and relationships. Seek the Lord’s will in this through prayer and study of scripture.

Do we recognize and admit to ourselves, and openly to others, that we are sinners and not worthy of Christ… but that He loves and accepts us anyway? or do we live as if we are “good enough” and “deserve” His grace and forgiveness?

Reflect in prayer on these things and ask the Spirit to enlighten the eyes of your heart and lead you to any changes you need to make in your life in order to truly embrace a life filled with Christ as His humble servant.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

God’s Eternity and Man’s Brief Life Span

It is good for us to focus on the Lord, His eternal nature. He is far above even our ability to fully understand Him. We are transitory… each of us with a brief life in which even that which we create will fade in short time. Only in the Lord is there eternity and I choose to spend eternity with Him.

This prayer does well to remind us that our time is brief and all that we think is important to “accomplish” is not going to last. Our relationship with the Lord, and any we can help lead to Him… those things are eternal.

With that in mind, is the focus of your life on the right things? Are you placing your value in career and business? hobbies? or serving the Lord and leading and supporting others to submit to and serve  Him as Lord?

Psalm 90

BOOK 4

God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

     1Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

      2Before the mountains were born
Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

      3You turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”

      4For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it passes by,
Or as a watch in the night.

      5You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep;
In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew.

      6In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew;
Toward evening it fades and withers away.

      7For we have been consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been dismayed.

      8You have placed our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

      9For all our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a sigh.

      10As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, eighty years,
Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we fly away.

      11Who understands the power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?

      12So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

      13Do return, O LORD; how long will it be?
And be sorry for Your servants.

      14O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,
That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

      15Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have seen evil.

      16Let Your work appear to Your servants
And Your majesty to their children.

      17Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

How Do We Overcome Satan and Temptation?

The greatest trick the devil ever played was to convince people he does not exist. If we go about our lives unaware that there is an enemy seeking to separate us from God and others, really seeking to destroy us, we will be much more vulnerable to be defeated. This is a simple concept, but just as true for spiritual warfare as for conventional warfare. You must recognize there is a battle, then acknowledge and understand who the enemy is, in order to achieve victory.

We have some very good scriptural records of how to defend ourselves, if we only review them and learn from them.  Who better to learn from than Jesus Himself?

Luke 4:1-13

The Temptation of Jesus

     1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness 2for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. 3And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’”

      5And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7“Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’”

      9And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;

10for it is written,
‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,’

11and,
‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP,
SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’”

12And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

      13When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Jesus did not flee the devil. He resisted the devil. At the very beginning we see perhaps the most important first step took place before this scripture begins… He was full of the Holy Spirit. We do well to seek the Lord and serve Him and be filled with the Spirit before the attack begins. This sets us up for success, while also putting us in right standing with the Lord. Jesus was not only full of the Spirit, but He was allowing Himself to be led by Spirit.

The devil came to Him when Jesus was weak and alone (except for the Spirit, who never leaves us while we remain in fellowship with the Lord).  Once Jesus is hungry, the devil uses the physical need to tempt Him. He brings into question if Jesus is the son of God, as if to challenge Him or dare Him to prove it. Jesus shows us we need not “prove” anything to the devil. We need not take His advice to satisfy our physical needs. Jesus instead replies with the “sword of the spirit”, the Word of God. Jesus already studied and knew the scriptures, before the encounter with the devil began. He was prepared.

For the second temptation, the devil offers Jesus the kingdoms of the world. Jesus already knows He will get these anyway, but essentially the devil offers Him a shortcut, where He would not need to go through physical death and suffering on the cross first. Jesus accepts God’s path for His life, though it is harder than the easy path the devil offers. Again, understanding of scripture in advance of encountering the devil points the way to victory… worship none but the Lord.

For the third challenge, the devil again challenges Jesus as if to prove He is the son of God and to prove that God will do what He promises. Jesus is not having any of it. Again, knowledge of the scripture points the way. Do not put the Lord to the test.

Note, even as the devil leaves, however… that he will return.

Let us follow in Christ’s example. Acknowledge there is a spiritual battle and an enemy. Study the tactics of the enemy and how Christ defeats Him. Build our relationship with the Lord now and ask for the Spirit to fill us and guide us. Study scripture. Do all this before the devil confronts you.

To learn more about spiritual warfare, read our article on Spiritual Warfare.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

 

“I Would Never Act That Way”

Hollywood could not dream up a story as wild and exciting, with as many surprise turns, as that of the Lord delivering His people from Egypt to the promised land. A persecuted slave class of people being lifted up out of bondage through plagues and mighty miracles. Through moments of faith and moments where the faith utterly fails and they are disciplined by the Lord. A righteous man, Moses, interceding on their behalf each time they repent. There was no easy road. What irony that they were too afraid to take the promised land but then had to fight many other nations along their now extended journey. Don’t skip the details, read back through… the ground swallowed up some who rebelled, and not snakes through the camp causing mayhem and repentance. A bronze serpent as a symbol to save them… what a wild ride… and it’s all true, historical events.

We get the opportunity  to learn from the Lord through exciting and unexpected plot twists that His people actually experienced first hand.

As we read the historical events of Numbers 21, we once again see a roller coaster ride for the Israelites. They are attacked by Arad and beaten initially. They turn to the Lord and He gives them absolute victory. Then not long after, the people get impatient again and speak against the Lord. What a tiresome bunch for the Lord to tolerate… but let’s take care, as we still often act in much the same way. We forget His last blessing or victory so quickly once the next challenge or wait is in front of us. We are naturally impatient and selfish and often do not long remember the victories He has given us.

With rebellion in speaking out against the Lord, comes punishment… righteous punishment. All of us deserve correction from time to time, and a loving Father disciplines those He loves. Then comes the question of how we receive that rebuke… with humility leading to repentance or with resentment leading to further separation from the Lord. The Israelites at least turn toward the Lord for help again once they punishment of the snakes was upon them. Moses interceded for them with the Lord and the Lord forgave them.

At least for awhile, they remained more patient on their ongoing journey.

Numbers 21:1-20

Arad Conquered

     1When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. 2So Israel made a vow to the LORD and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” 3The LORD heard the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites; then they utterly destroyed them and their cities. Thus the name of the place was called Hormah.

      4Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. 5The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

The Bronze Serpent

     6The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. 8Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” 9And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

      10Now the sons of Israel moved out and camped in Oboth. 11They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is opposite Moab, to the east. 12From there they set out and camped in Wadi Zered. 13From there they journeyed and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

14Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD,
“Waheb in Suphah,
And the wadis of the Arnon,

      15And the slope of the wadis
That extends to the site of Ar,
And leans to the border of Moab.”

      16From there they continued to Beer, that is the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Assemble the people, that I may give them water.”

      17Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well! Sing to it!

      18“The well, which the leaders sank,
Which the nobles of the people dug,
With the scepter and with their staffs.”
And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah,

19and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which overlooks the wasteland.

Don’t fool yourself that each of us is not able to act in similar fashion as the Israelites did in Numbers 21. It is all too easy to declare, “I would never act that way.” We are still vulnerable toward focusing on our selves rather than God, focusing on our current challenge rather than our past victories with Him, grumbling against Him when things are not going how we want them to go. Pray for the Spirit to help us remain faithful to the Lord through even the tough times, remain thankful for all the victories He has handed to us in the past, and trust in Him that He will be with us through to the end of our current and future challenges. He is a loving Father! Let us rejoice and praise Him and not speak against Him!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Approaching the Lord With Respect and Humility

David was a man after God’s own heart. God raised him up and sustained him. David also made mistakes at times and created separation between himself and the Lord. Psalm 89 focuses on the Lord’s lovingkindness, faithfulness, eternal nature, righteousness, justice, power, etc. and recognizes Him as the source of salvation. It focuses on uplifting and praising the Lord first. This is a great way to start every prayer and consistent with how Jesus taught His disciples how to pray the “Lord’s Prayer” in which we first start with focus on the Lord… hallowed by Thy name, Thy will be done, Thy kingdom come… before it turns to ask anything. It goes on to call out how blessed are those who serve the Lord.

Then it highlights in verse 30 a pivotal and important topic. If we refuse to obey His law, His statutes, then He will punish us. He will discipline us like a good father disciplines children. However, He will not break His promises or His covenant.

Thus the psalmist continues to transition into a call for help from the Lord to deliver Israel from its afflictions. One would presume from the tone of the psalm, there is a repentant heart on behalf of Israel seeking forgiveness and reconciliation with the Lord and once again renewing submission to Him.

Then it ends with a very positive tone lifting up once again the Lord, “Blessed be the Lord forever!”.

It is quite a good example of how we should approach the Lord. Let us focus on Him and appreciate and praise Him. Let us recognize it is our sin that separates us from Him. Then let us seek reconciliation through submission and obedience, seeking Him once again. Let us recognize that His promises endure through even our disobedience and He will always be willing to receive us back again as the father did in the parable of the prodigal son. However, we also realize that there are consequences to our disobedience and sin.

Read slowly and thoughtfully. Seek for the Spirit to help you apply in your life.

Psalm 89

The LORD’S Covenant with David, and Israel’s Afflictions.

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever;
To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.

      2For I have said, “Lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.”

      3“I have made a covenant with My chosen;
I have sworn to David My servant,

      4I will establish your seed forever
And build up your throne to all generations.”

Selah.

      5The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

      6For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD?
Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD,

      7A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
And awesome above all those who are around Him?

      8O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

      9You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.

      10You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain;
You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

      11The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all it contains, You have founded them.

      12The north and the south, You have created them;
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.

      13You have a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted.

      14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

      15How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance.

      16In Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.

      17For You are the glory of their strength,
And by Your favor our horn is exalted.

      18For our shield belongs to the LORD,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

      19Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones,
And said, “I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.

      20“I have found David My servant;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,

      21With whom My hand will be established;
My arm also will strengthen him.

      22“The enemy will not deceive him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

      23“But I shall crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.

      24“My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him,
And in My name his horn will be exalted.

      25“I shall also set his hand on the sea
And his right hand on the rivers.

      26“He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

      27“I also shall make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.

      28“My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall be confirmed to him.

      29“So I will establish his descendants forever
And his throne as the days of heaven.

      30“If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,

      31If they violate My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,

      32Then I will punish their transgression with the rod
And their iniquity with stripes.

      33“But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.

      34“My covenant I will not violate,
Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.

      35“Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.

      36“His descendants shall endure forever
And his throne as the sun before Me.

      37“It shall be established forever like the moon,
And the witness in the sky is faithful.”

Selah.

      38But You have cast off and rejected,
You have been full of wrath against Your anointed.

      39You have spurned the covenant of Your servant;
You have profaned his crown in the dust.

      40You have broken down all his walls;
You have brought his strongholds to ruin.

      41All who pass along the way plunder him;
He has become a reproach to his neighbors.

      42You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have made all his enemies rejoice.

      43You also turn back the edge of his sword
And have not made him stand in battle.

      44You have made his splendor to cease
And cast his throne to the ground.

      45You have shortened the days of his youth;
You have covered him with shame.

Selah.

      46How long, O LORD?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your wrath burn like fire?

      47Remember what my span of life is;
For what vanity You have created all the sons of men!

      48What man can live and not see death?
Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?

Selah.

      49Where are Your former lovingkindnesses, O Lord,
Which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?

      50Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants;
How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,

      51With which Your enemies have reproached, O LORD,
With which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed.

      52Blessed be the LORD forever!
Amen and Amen.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Walking In Obedience Does Not Mean Everything Is Easy

Do not think that walking in obedience to the Lord will mean that everything is easy and goes smoothly. Expect that others will come against you. Trust in the Lord during conflict to be your “north star” or “compass” to guide you through to the right and obedient path through adversity. Ask the Spirit to guide and support you. But do not think that you are wrong just because others oppose you. The Hebrews were following the Lord in the desert and still came up against opposition from Edom.

Numbers 20:14-22

      14From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us; 15that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. 16‘But when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17‘Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king’s highway, not turning to the right or left, until we pass through your territory.’”

      18Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through us, or I will come out with the sword against you.” 19Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and my livestock do drink any of your water, then I will pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, nothing else.20But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with a heavy force and with a strong hand. 21Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.

      22Now when they set out from Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

Just to make broader the point, let us look at another example in which Jesus spoke about following Him and what to expect.

Matthew 10:34-39

   34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35“For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36and A MANS ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.

      37“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

Prayerfully pursue a closer relationship with the Lord. Spend time daily in studying the Bible.  Seek to follow and obey faithfully. Do not turn away from the path of obedience when things get tough. Rely heavily on the Lord as your “north star” and “compass” to guide you through, not necessarily around, adversity. Ask the Spirit to help you glorify the Lord as you experience difficulty on the way.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Accept All Things That Come From The Lord With Joy and Without Grumbling

What a tremendous moment for Zacharias and Elizabeth… the birth of John. Zacharias was unable to speak for months, tongue tied by the Lord. Now with the birth of his son, and his final step of obedience to the Lord in naming his son John, he is able to speak again. He had quite a lot to say.

Was he grumbling and complaining about “being punished” for making a mistake when the angel told him about John? Was he saying it was “unfair” what happened to him. Certainly not! Zacharias took the sign as confirmation of all the angel had said and burst forth with confidence to prophecy over his son. I get the picture in my head that he was positively joyful in celebrating this moment and in serving the Lord.

Any of us may receive some difficulty at the hands of the Lord, as Zacharias did. Are we ready to receive it as correction or guidance from a loving Father? or are we so focused on ourselves that any inconvenience or difficulty makes us angry and impatient for it to be removed?

Luke 1:57-80

John Is Born

     57Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

      59And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. 60But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” 61And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 64And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. 65Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. 66All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

Zacharias’s Prophecy

     67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

      68“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

      69And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—

      70As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—

      71Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,
And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;

      72To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,

      73The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

      74To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,

      75In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

      76“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

      77To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins,

      78Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

      79TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

      80And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

When each of us receives discipline or guidance from the Lord by way of difficult circumstances, let us pray for the Spirit to help guide us in our response… that we would be filled with joy nonetheless and focus on our Lord and His desires and that He loves us enough to discipline us as His children. Let us accept all things from the Lord with joy and without grumbling.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.