Tag Archives: Be faithful to God’s Word not man’s!

What About Jesus’ Name??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #223

24 Friday May 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Form of godliness?, A heart of faith, Conformed to HIS image, Consider Your ways, Eternal Plan of God, Every Knee Shall Bow, Evil will not win, Examine Myself?, Eyes that SEE HIM, God Is In Charge, God Knows, God Knows His Own, God sees your tears--sorrow is ok!, God Still Reigns, IN HIS TIME!, In Jesus name--means what?, IN Jesus!, JESUS, Jesus IS Lord--bow before Him!, Jesus Never Fails, Jesus Saves!, Jesus' Sacrifice, Jesus--our all in all, The Name of Jesus?, Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done

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What About Jesus’ Name??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #223

What’s so special about Jesus’ name?  It is the amazing name of our Lord and Savior — our King of Kings!  Yet today people seem to be using it as a talisman or a magic potion, may it never be!  With so much misinformation, I’d like to share some insight into our use, confidence and dependence upon Jesus and His name.

It saddens me that we treat the name of Jesus like a heavenly slot machine, we drop in our demands, call on the name of Jesus, pull the handle and expect God to perform at will.  NOT!!!  Let’s just let scripture be our plumbline of behavior, belief and truth!  Jesus himself lays our foundation of prayer.

“After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done

in earth,

as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10

God’s will should be our desire, yet we have somehow acquired a mindset that has caused many to see God as a heavenly grandfather, just waiting to keep all of his grandchildren “happy”!  NOT!  God’s greatest desire is that we become holy—with or without happiness! (happy=circumstantial, holy=internal nature)

“And we know that all things work together for good

to them that love God,

to them who are the called

according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow,

he also did predestinate

to be conformed to the image of his Son,

that he might be the firstborn

among many brethren.”  Romans 8:28-29

God is ever working to make us holy and useful servants in HIS kingdom, not ours; growing into holy, obedient and devoted servants to the Most High God and His Son Jesus—not in our own strength but in the power of the precious Holy Spirit who indwells every born-again believer in Jesus! (See Romans 8:9)

“As obedient children,

not fashioning yourselves

according to the former lusts

in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy,

so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written,

Be ye holy;

for I am holy.”  1 Peter 1:14-16

We are to be obedient, trusting children, knowing that our God sees the whole picture of our life, and we only see little pieces of that picture at a time.  God is ever working to grow us, to conform us into “the image of his Son”!  Oh the glory of that thought!  And just a note, when Peter uses the word “conversation” above, he is referring to our lifestyle not just our speech—but they are connected, for what is in our heart will come out in our speech and our life-choices!  May we ever remember that Jesus is our true north—our hope—our help—our sustenance when we rely upon Him.  And one of my favorite passages in all of scripture talks about this very thing and let me say when it talks about getting “the desires of our heart”, we must interpret that in context; and the context says that my delight is in “the Lord”.  Then, we can truly say, “Lord, if it pleases you, it pleases me!”

“Trust in the LORD,

and do good;

so shalt thou dwell in the land,

and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the LORD;

and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD;

trust also in him;

and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness

as the light,

and thy judgment

as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD,

and wait patiently for him:

fret not thyself

because of him who prospereth in his way,

because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger,

and forsake wrath:

fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.”  Psalm 37:3-8

And one of the most profound passages about who Jesus is and what He did for us is from Paul’s letter to the Philippian believers.  May we heed this truth and fix our eyes on Jesus.

“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

So, are you bowing or demanding?  We are to examine ourself!

Amen and Amen!!!

Faithful GOD??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #131

14 Thursday Sep 2023

Posted by in A Form of godliness?, Abiding In Jesus, Faith, Faithful, Faithful Father--heavenly and earthly, Faithful Follower, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Faithfulness, False Lives, Jesus IN You!, Jesus Is Alive, Jesus IS The Gift!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Jesus Is Truth, Jesus Knows, Jesus Never Fails, Jesus Saves!, Jesus' Sacrifice, Jesus--our all in all

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Faithful GOD???        A Word from THE WORD!!! #131

Sometimes we allow ourselves to be ‘dis-couraged’ instead of looking up to our Lord—our God—our Savior—our JESUS—for a word of ‘en-couragement’; so I’d like to take a few minutes today to share some encouragement from God’s Word, and may I add that to truly know the faithfulness of God we have to know HIM in the ”new birth” and know HIS WORD!  For if we don’t know what God has said, how can we be confident in it?  We can’t!  It’s part of the reason (aside from the fact that God called me to it!) that I’ve spent the last 34+ years teaching people how to study God’s Word for themselves.   So let’s dig in to that very Word and see what we can find out about our GOD Almighty—Father, Son-Jesus, and The Holy Spirit.

“And the very God of peace

sanctify you wholly;

and I pray God

your whole spirit

and soul

and body

be preserved blameless

unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Faithful is he that calleth you,

who also will do it.”  1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Our God is faithful not because we want Him to be, but because HE IS a faithful GOD!  The Psalms are replete with words of truth about our God, I encourage you to read them (if you read 5 Psalms a day, and 1 chapter of Proverbs a day you will go through both books in a month!  And repeatedly is a plus!).

“Thy mercy, O LORD,

is in the heavens;

and thy faithfulness

reacheth unto the clouds.

6 Thy righteousness

is like the great mountains;

thy judgments

are a great deep:

O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!

therefore the children of men

put their trust

under the shadow of thy wings.” Psalm 36:5-7

My question is, do you know this Faithful God, and HIS Son, Jesus?  I can’t express the faithfulness that I have experienced in my walk with HIM, and He is there for you if you will but recognize your need.  See your sin as sin, repent and turn to the cross in faith/belief in Jesus’ substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for your sin and mine!  Oh, praise God HE forgives, saves, and cleanses us from our sin!  (See Matthew 1:21—it’s why HE came!)

“Giving thanks unto the Father,

which hath made us meet

to be partakers of the inheritance

of the saints

in light:

13 Who hath delivered us

from the power of darkness,

and hath translated us

into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption

through his blood,

even the forgiveness

of sins:” Colossians 1:12-14

And the Apostle John put it amply well, for both the believer who needs forgiveness and restoration, or the lost who needs a Savior!  And remember JESUS IS “the truth” and “The Word” (See John 14:6 and John 1:1-5)!

“If we say that we have no sin,

we deceive ourselves,

and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins,

he is faithful

and just

to forgive us

our sins,

and to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned,

we make him a liar,

and his word is not in us.”  1 John 1:8-10

This faithful God made provision IN Jesus for our sin to be exchanged for HIS righteousness; Paul put it in a nutshell, so to speak, for us!

“Therefore if any man be in Christ,

he is a new creature:

old things are passed away;

behold, all things are become new.

18 And all things are of God,

who hath reconciled us to himself

by Jesus Christ,

and hath given to us

the ministry of reconciliation;

19 To wit,

that God was in Christ,

reconciling the world unto himself,

not imputing their trespasses unto them;

and hath committed unto us

the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then

we are ambassadors for Christ,

as though God did beseech you by us:

we pray you in Christ’s stead,

be ye reconciled to God.

21 For he hath made him

to be sin for us,

who knew no sin;

that we might be made

the righteousness of God

in him.”  2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Jesus Himself, paints a picture of this transformation by the “indwelling” presence of the Savior within HIS own!  Is HE in you?  Are you in HIM?

“Behold,

I stand at the door,

and knock:

if any man hear my voice,

and open the door,

I will come in to him,

and will sup with him,

and he with me.”  Revelation 3:20

Paul spoke another word of encouragement to the believers in Thessalonica—will you receive it?  Have you received Jesus?  It’s your choice, but choose wisely, there is a test; and Jesus won’t ask what ‘words’ you said, or what aisle you walked, or where you were baptized; HE will ask if you have been “born again”, “let HIM IN”, “followed HIM”, or did you do it your way?  HE knows!

“But the Lord is faithful,

who shall stablish you,

and keep you from evil.”  2 Thessalonians 3:3

In closing I want to share the words of our Lord—our faithful Lord—who calls us to be faithful too!

“And he said to them all,

If any man will come after me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross daily,

and follow me.

24 For whosoever will save his life

shall lose it:

but whosoever will lose his life for my sake,

the same shall save it.

25 For what is a man advantaged,

if he gain the whole world,

and lose himself,

or be cast away?”  Luke 9:23-25

Take up your cross, for the cross is an instrument of death.  Paul defines it spiritually.  I pray that you will repent, die to self, and live to, for, with and by the power of Jesus Christ The Lord—the faithful GOD…Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who “loves” us!!!

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live

in the flesh

I live by the faith

of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”  Galatians 2:20

Only Jesus!

“Neither is there salvation

in any other:

for there is none other name under heaven

given among men,

whereby we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12

Praying that you are trusting to this faithful REDEEMER!G

Amen and Amen!!!

A Godly Forgetting??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #14

17 Friday Jun 2022

Posted by in Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, Following Jesus, For Such A Time As This, Forgetting or Remembering?

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A Godly Forgetting???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #14

Bible Ballistics

Just a reminder that the past is a tool not an idol, or a noose around our neck or the neck of others!  I don’t have much else to say about this, but I think Paul summed it all up for us!  And may we “remember” that our lives are to reflect Jesus—not popular ideologies, memes, or social media “trends”.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:

but this one thing I do,

forgetting those things

which are behind,

and reaching forth unto those things

which are before,

14 I press toward the mark

for the prize

of the high calling of God

in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore,

as many as be perfect,

be thus minded:

and if in any thing

ye be otherwise minded,

God shall reveal even this

unto you.”  Philippians 3:13-15

And contrary to the popular social media life principles, God often calls us to “put up” with things and people that are difficult.  While we are to surround ourselves with godly influences not the worldly things or people, we are not to discard those who are needy!  Yes, it’s often inconvenient, trying, and/or draining, but Jesus has promised to supply all our needs when we are doing HIS work!  Don’t be swayed by lies; no matter how pretty and appealing they may sound.  Let’s consider the “BE attitudes”, and ask God to show us how we measure up to HIS standard? (And remember the ‘peace makers’ reference is ultimately referring the Romans 5:1-11)!

“Blessed are the poor in spirit:

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn:

for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek:

for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst

    after righteousness:

for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful:

for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart:

for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers:

for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted

     for righteousness’ sake:

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye,

when men shall revile you,

and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil against you

falsely,

for my sake.

12 Rejoice,

and be exceeding glad:

for great is your reward in heaven:

for so persecuted they the prophets

which were before you.”  Matthew 5:3-12

 

May God stir our hearts and minds to see things through a biblical view rather than a current, popular, media-controlled view.  Blessings on you and yours this Father’s Day weekend.

Amen and Amen!!!