Which Mirror Are You Using??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #286

10 Sunday Nov 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Father's Love, A Form of godliness?, A Witness--Good or Bad???, All Sufficient God!, Faithfulness, Perseverance, SIN, Sin IS the issue

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Which Mirror Are You Using???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #286

We all like to check our appearance in the mirror, making sure everything is straight, and nothing out of place.  There’s nothing wrong with that, but when our attention is on the glass mirror, we may be forgetting to check the spiritual mirror to be sure we are walking with God, for God and in the way God wants us to go. We are living in a culture that wants to camp out on God’s “love” without taking into consideration that God has a standard, and it hasn’t changed.  In fact so often people will ask, “Where does it say that in the Bible?” (that I can’t do such-and-such) as an excuse for their inappropriate behavior.  Well, it does say this in the Bible:

“Jesus Christ

the same yesterday,

and to day,

and for ever.”  Hebrews 13:8

God has never changed, and He never will, nor will The Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; and usually the things that people don’t think are in the Bible, are simply undiscovered by them, because they want no accountability to God.  But we will all give an account, either to The Lord Jesus before the Judgment Seat of Christ to answer for our deeds done or undone for Jesus, or we will stand before the Great White Throne judgment, where the lost will bow before the God they have rejected and receive their fate with no opportunity of grace.

James gives us a good picture of this.

“Wherefore lay apart

all filthiness

and superfluity of naughtiness,

and receive with meekness

the engrafted word,

which is able to save your souls.

22 But be ye doers

of the word,

and not hearers only,

deceiving your own selves.

23 For if any be a hearer of the word,

and not a doer,

he is like unto a man

beholding his natural face in a glass:

24 For he beholdeth himself,

and goeth his way,

and straightway forgetteth

what manner of man he was.

25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty,

and continueth therein,

he being not a forgetful hearer,

but a doer of the work,

this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seem to be religious,

and bridleth not his tongue,

but deceiveth his own heart,

this man’s religion is vain.

27 Pure religion

and undefiled

before God

and the Father is this,

To visit the fatherless

and widows in their affliction,

and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”   James 1:21-27

How do we stay “unspotted from the world”. It ain’t easy, but it is doable.  But only God’s way!

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh…

…. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is

love, joy, peace,

longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,

faith, 23 Meekness, temperance:

against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ’s

have crucified the flesh

with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”  Portions of Galatians 5:16-25

It takes commitment, devotion and a reliance upon Jesus to keep walking in The Spirit (the indwelling Holy Spirit imparted to all who are born again); and we are to be a doer of the word, not just a hearer—as my mom used to say, “in one ear, and out of the other…” or will we live what we claim to believe?!  Scripture talks about presumption, so let’s consider our lives in that mirror of God’s truth.

“Who can understand his errors?

cleanse thou me from secret faults.

13 Keep back thy servant also

from presumptuous sins;

let them not have dominion over me:

then shall I be upright,

and I shall be innocent

from the great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth,

and the meditation of my heart,

be acceptable in thy sight,

O LORD,

my strength,

and my redeemer.”  Psalm 19:12-14

Being “acceptable in thy sight” is the key—pleasing to our Lord!  Looking in His mirror of The Word!  Peter writes about presumption.

“But chiefly them that walk after the flesh

in the lust of uncleanness,

and despise government.

Presumptuous are they,

selfwilled,

they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.”    2 Peter 2:10

In closing, just a couple of questions.  If we were to be judged solely by our speech, would people know that we love Jesus and are born again?  Does our speech draw people to our Redeemer or do they wonder why we speak and behave in the way we do.  Are we being true testimonies of Jesus or presumptuous imitators?  Food for thought for our week.

“Let your speech be

alway with grace,

seasoned with salt,

that ye may know

how ye ought to answer every man.” Colossians 4:6

Amen and Amen!!!

Jonah’s Second Chance??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #285

07 Thursday Nov 2024

Posted by in A Father's Love, A heart of faith, Believing God's Words, Jonah's attitude..., Jonah's Second Chance, Second Chances, The Word

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Jonah’s Second Chance???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #285

Most of us are familiar with the story of Jonah and the whale (big fish); it’s a story of willful disobedience, running away from God (like you can do that, but we often try), and the loving grace and patience of our Lord God!  God called Jonah to preach to a people that he knew had been prophesied to defeat Israel at some time in the future, and yet God called him to go and preach repentance before Jehovah God!  So, like many of us, Jonah headed for the sea—the opposite direction from the place where God had called him to go!  Sound like you and me?  So often that answer is yes!  If we don’t like the call, we run; maybe literally, maybe just in heart and mind, but we run away from God’s will!  It wasn’t profitable for Jonah, and it won’t be profitable for us—not long term!

But that’s not what I want us to consider today.  I truly believe that American has experienced a Jonah moment.  I believe that God has given us a chance to repent, share the Good News of Jesus and make a difference in our families, our communities, our states and our nation!  But many will be like Jonah, who instead of rejoicing when God extended mercy to his enemies—he sat down for a good old-fashioned pout (and they are pretty new-fashioned these days as well!). I simply want us to consider our ways, and make sure we are heading in the right direction personally, and then to share God’s truth with those around us as we have opportunity.  To go where God leads us, do the things that He asks us to be and do, to share the “truth in love”!  It’s my prayer for all of us.  I pray that you will join me and consider how to make full use of the “second chance” that I believe God has given us.  It’s your call, but remember, there is a test; and the test may be coming sooner than we think.

Jonah came out of the whale and went to Ninevah and preached the message that God had given him the first time—for 40 days he preached God’s warning; and the people, from the king down repented and sought God’s forgiveness and mercy.  Let’s see what Jonah’s response was.  It may sound familiar to our day!  To believers!  To the church!  What will we do with the second chance that God has extended to us?

“And God saw their works,

that they turned from their evil way;

and God repented of the evil,

that he had said that he would do unto them;

and he did it not…

….4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,

 and he was very angry.

2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said,

I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying,

when I was yet in my country?

Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish:

for I knew that thou art a gracious God,

and merciful,

slow to anger,

and of great kindness,

and repentest thee of the evil.

3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee,

my life from me;

for it is better for me to die than to live…

…. 5 So Jonah went out of the city,

and sat on the east side of the city,

and there made him a booth,

and sat under it in the shadow,

till he might see what would become of the city.

6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd,

and made it to come up over Jonah,

that it might be a shadow over his head,

to deliver him from his grief.

So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

7 But God prepared a worm

when the morning rose the next day,

and it smote the gourd that it withered.

8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise,

that God prepared a vehement east wind;

and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah,

that he fainted,

and wished in himself to die,

and said,

It is better for me to die than to live.

9 And God said to Jonah,

Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd?

And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

10 Then said the LORD,

Thou hast had pity on the gourd,

for the which thou hast not laboured,

neither madest it grow;

which came up in a night,

and perished in a night:

11 And should not I spare Nineveh,

that great city,

wherein are more than sixscore thousand

persons that cannot discern

between their right hand

and their left hand;

and also much cattle?”                        Portions of Jonah 3:10-4:11

God is calling us to reach out in mercy and love to those perishing in sin!  We won’t win them all (in fact, not many years hence, under an unrepentant king, Ninevah did come and invade Israel) but we are called to sow the seed, to love as God does!  If you belong to Jesus, shine and put down those rocks!

“For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world

to condemn the world;

but that the world through him

might be saved.”  John 3:16-17

Amen and Amen!!!

Prayer Day 8 of 8??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #284

04 Monday Nov 2024

Posted by in Daniel Prayed--Do You?, Daniel Prayed--Will You?, Daniel's choices, Daniel's Prayer, Praise God Today!, PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!, Prayer, Prayer or Panic?

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Prayer Day 8 of 8???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #284

Today is the last day of our prayer emphasis and I simply want to share Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9.  It is one of the most humble, powerful and convicting prayers in all of scripture, I truly believe.  We get so haughty sometimes, thinking we are more spiritual, more holy or closer to God than others, yet here is a man who was totally devoted to God and yet he takes on the sins, failures and shortcomings of his people as his own.  I truly believe that when our heart is ready to join Daniel in this mindset, we will see things happen.  I have no other comments to make other than to ask you to ponder this message of love, compassion and empathy, from a repentant heart for his people.

“And I set my face unto the Lord God,

to seek by prayer and supplications,

with fasting,

and sackcloth,

and ashes:

4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God,

and made my confession, and said,

O Lord, the great and dreadful God,

keeping the covenant and mercy

to them that love him,

and to them that keep his commandments;

5 We have sinned,

and have committed iniquity,

and have done wickedly,

and have rebelled,

even by departing from thy precepts

and from thy judgments:

6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants

the prophets,

which spake in thy name

to our kings,

our princes,

and our fathers,

and to all the people of the land.

7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee,

but unto us confusion of faces,

as at this day;

to the men of Judah,

and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

and unto all Israel,

that are near,

and that are far off,

through all the countries

whither thou hast driven them,

because of their trespass

that they have trespassed against thee.

8 O Lord,

to us belongeth confusion of face,

to our kings,

to our princes,

and to our fathers,

because we have sinned against thee

9 To the Lord our God

belong mercies and forgivenesses,

though we have rebelled against him;

10 Neither have we obeyed

the voice of the LORD our God,

to walk in his laws,

which he set before us

by his servants the prophets.

11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law,

even by departing,

that they might not obey thy voice;

therefore the curse is poured upon us,

and the oath that is written

 in the law of Moses the servant of God,

because we have sinned against him.

12 And he hath confirmed his words,

which he spake against us,

and against our judges

that judged us,

by bringing upon us a great evil:

for under the whole heaven

hath not been done as hath been done

upon Jerusalem.

13 As it is written in the law of Moses,

all this evil is come upon us:

yet made we not our prayer

before the LORD our God,

that we might turn from our iniquities,

and understand thy truth…

….16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness,

I beseech thee,

let thine anger

and thy fury

be turned away from thy city Jerusalem,

thy holy mountain:

because for our sins,

and for the iniquities of our fathers,

Jerusalem and thy people

are become a reproach

to all that are about us.

17 Now therefore, O our God,

hear the prayer of thy servant,

and his supplications,

and cause thy face to shine

upon thy sanctuary that is desolate,

for the Lord’s sake.

18 O my God, incline thine ear,

and hear;

open thine eyes,

and behold our desolations,

and the city which is called by thy name:

for we do not present our supplications before thee

for our righteousnesses,

but for thy great mercies.

19 O Lord, hear;

O Lord, forgive;

O Lord, hearken and do;

defer not,

for thine own sake, O my God:

for thy city

and thy people are called by thy name.”                  Portions of Daniel 9:3-19

Amen and Amen!!!

Prayer Day 7 of 8??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #283

03 Sunday Nov 2024

Posted by in Jesus prayed, Jesus Saves!, Jesus' prayer for us, PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!, Prayer, Prayer or Panic?

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Prayer Day 7 of 8???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #283

As today is The Lord’s Day, I want to simply share a prayer for our soon-coming Lord and King.  One of the most beautiful prayers in scripture and Jesus prayed it for you and me; how can we do less for those around us!  The world needs the children of God to reflect His glory not the sad imitation of the world.

“These words spake Jesus,

 and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,

Father, the hour is come;

glorify thy Son,

 that thy Son also may glorify thee:

2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh,

that he should give eternal life

to as many as thou hast given him.

3 And this is life eternal,

that they might know thee the only true God,

and Jesus Christ,

whom thou hast sent.

4 I have glorified thee

on the earth:

I have finished the work

which thou gavest me to do.  

5 And now, O Father,

glorify thou me with thine own self

with the glory which I had with thee

before the world was.

6 I have manifested thy name

unto the men which thou gavest me

out of the world:

thine they were,

and thou gavest them me;

and they have kept thy word.

7 Now they have known

that all things whatsoever thou hast given me

are of thee.

8 For I have given unto them the words

which thou gavest me;

and they have received them,

and have known surely that I came out from thee,

and they have believed that thou didst send me.

9 I pray for them:

I pray not for the world,

but for them which thou hast given me;

for they are thine.

10 And all mine are thine,

and thine are mine;

and I am glorified in them.

11 And now I am no more in the world,

but these are in the world,

and I come to thee.

Holy Father,

keep through thine own name

those whom thou hast given me,

that they may be one,

as we are.”  John 17:1-11

Thank you, Jesus for praying for me; may I be found faithful in praying for others!

“Rejoice evermore.

17 Pray without ceasing.

18 In every thing give thanks:

for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus concerning you.

19 Quench not the Spirit.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

Amen and Amen!!!

Prayer Day 6 of 8??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #282

02 Saturday Nov 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Call To Look Unto Jesus!, God's glory NOT mine!, God's provision, God's Righteousness Not mine, God's Time, Jesus Saves!, Jesus SinLESS Son of God, Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem, PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!, Prayer, Prayer or Panic?, Preach Christ and HIM crucified!, Revive us O God!, Righteousness, Righteousness exalts a nation, Salvation

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Prayer Day 6 of 8???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #282

 

I pray that you have had a good week, and that even when we change those clocks tonight (and I change mine today—I need more time to adjust…) we will be sure and keep our eyes on the prize—Jesus!  I pray that you will find hope, peace and grace to press on in the scriptures that we have shared; my goal is to please my Lord Jesus and encourage others to pursue Him.  I want to share another of Paul’s prayers with you today and I pray that God will use it to His glory and our good!

“Wherefore I also, after I heard

of your faith in the Lord Jesus,

and love unto all the saints,

16 Cease not to give thanks for you,

making mention of you in my prayers;

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of glory,

may give unto you the spirit of wisdom

and revelation in the knowledge of him:

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened;

that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,

and what the riches of the glory

of his inheritance in the saints,

19 And what is the exceeding greatness

of his power to us-ward who believe,

according to the working of his mighty power,

20 Which he wrought in Christ,

when he raised him from the dead,

and set him at his own right hand

in the heavenly places,

21 Far above all principality,

and power,

and might,

and dominion,

and every name that is named,

not only in this world,

but also in that which is to come:”                   Ephesians 1:15-21

As we bow before this risen King, may we remember that the question isn’t “Will you bow?”, for all will bow.  The question is “When will you bow?”  Will you bow before Jesus now, in humble repentance of your sin and trust/believe in the substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for sin that Jesus made at Calvary?  Jesus is the only way to come to God and heaven.  God has declared it.

“And being found in fashion as a man,

he humbled himself,

and became obedient unto death,

even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,

and given him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow,

of things in heaven,

and things in earth,

and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:8-11

It’s all about Jesus—not elections, or taxes, or personalities—for all will bow—it’s about Jesus, His will and His righteousness!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:

for it is the power of God unto salvation

to every one that believeth;

to the Jew first,

and also to the Greek.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed

from faith to faith:

 as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

Amen and Amen!!!