Thursday, December 18, 2008

Who am I?

Have you heard the song, Who Am I?, by Casting Crowns? You can listen to it, and watch a great video, here.

After being the recipient of an answered prayer very early this morning, I am again amazed at God's goodness.

Our lives are so insignificant; we are barely even here on this earth and then we're gone.

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
I Peter 1:24

Yet, the Creator of Heaven and Earth takes notice of us. He knows our names, and even the number of hairs on our heads (which you know changes every day!)

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7

We truly do serve an awesome God. Be sure to thank Him today for his provision in your life.

I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Psalm 145:1

Monday, November 24, 2008

Waiting

I'm sure one of the hardest things we ever have to do is to wait. It seems like we have to wait for everything! When we were kids, we waited to grow up. We wait for good jobs, husbands, children, everything. Someone said that good things are worth waiting for. God must agree, because He expects us to wait on Him, too.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14

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. Psalm 37:7

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. Psalm 62:5

God most certainly does not get in a hurry to do things when we think He should. But, He always does them at the right time. Next time you find yourself in the position of waiting for the Lord to do something, and you feel your patience getting thin, read these verses again.

Another thing to remember is this: becoming a mature Christian means not acting like a baby any more. What does a small child do when they don't get what they want NOW? Until they've been taught otherwise, they cry and pitch a little fit. As they get older, they learn to wait for what they want, hopefully. As Christians, we must do the same. We can't be spiritual brats and get pouty when God doesn't give us what we want, when we want it. If what we're asking for is acceptable to God, and according to His will, He'll give it to us. When it's His own good time.

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. I John 5:14-15

The key to that is "according to His will". Sometimes, God's answer is "No".

If you're waiting on the Lord, be encouraged and let Him strengthen your heart. Rest in Him and wait patiently.

Monday, November 3, 2008

No Matter What...

This morning I've been catching up with people on MySpace and a forum I visit regularly, and the main topic of conversation is tomorrow's Presidential election.

I'm sad for my young friends who are just starting out in their adult lives and are already experiencing things like losing a job because their store is closing, and trying to make enough money to buy gas, pay rent, and still be able to eat. I wish things were more certain for them.

Sometimes when we listen to the news and the commentators, it seems like there is not much hope left for our Country. A lot will depend on the results of tomorrow's election.

But, no matter who wins, keep this one thought in mind. The Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the universe, is firmly in control of all that happens. No one will be pulling a surprise on Him.

Let the following passages of Scripture give you hope and comfort.

By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. Proverbs 8:15-16

It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:22-26

Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:19-20

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Heal our Land

Have you heard of the new movie coming out called Religulous? Here's a few of the things being said about it by journalists around the country. They call it the #1 sacrilegious comedy in America. They say it turns religion on its ear. That it is a blasphemous detonation of all things holy and scriptural. And they call it funny.* If you see a commercial on TV for it, you will see various people involved in their religious activities, accompanied by a smirking Bill Maher. Also included is a parody of Jesus' Crucifixion. I was appalled when I saw this. Appalled that people would be so publicly irreverent to Jesus Christ. I know that wasn't really Him on the commercial, but it was the idea of Jesus that they were smacking around. Do you see anything humorous in blaspheming things holy and scriptural? Not me. There's a word for that: profane. PROFANE: characterized by irreverence or contempt for God or sacred principles or things; irreligious.**

Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Hebrews 12:16 (Esau was profane; what did God think about that?)

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Romans 9:13 (That was God who said that.)

God hated Esau because he was profane. He didn't hold the birthright as a sacred thing. To him it was worthless, and he traded it for a bowl of food. Do you suppose God harbors any great love for profane people today? People who would blaspheme the death of His own Son?

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Malachi 3:6.

God doesn't change.

It seems that our nation is pushing the edge lately, and on the verge of crossing a line into a deeper level of sin and perversion than it has been in already. Not just because of this movie. This is just a symptom of a deeper problem. There was a time when even non-believers had the decency not to openly mock the Cross of Christ.

Many things are at stake in the upcoming election. There is more involved than just taxes, the war on terror, and abortion. There is an underlying culture that is just waiting to overwhelm our nation. It has been subdued in the past, although we have always heard rumblings as its members lashed out in the press against 'right-wing' people who they believe would shove conservative morals and values down their throats. There is a culture of evil, and it hates the Cross of Christ and those who stand for it. It would drown us if it could. It will try.

I'm sure you hear every day about the troubles in our economy. This is just another symptom, the result of unchecked greed on the part of many people. People trying to make gain off others, people who took out loans they couldn't afford to repay, people who were looking to make a buck off the greed of others.

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

As Christians we need to be content with what we have, not always striving and scratching to get more, more, more, and better, better, better. There is nothing wrong with getting something better – if you work and pay for it.

Sometimes the problems that face us in our nation seem almost overwhelming. At times, it almost looks hopeless. This scripture really came home to me this morning:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. II Chronicles 7:14.

God is not expecting every wicked evildoer in America to fall down and repent. He says for His People to do it. If all the Christians in America would examine our own hearts, humble ourselves, pray, seek the face of God, and turn from any wickedness that's in us, God will forgive us and heal our land.

Shall we put Him to the test?


*www.lionsgate.com

**www.dictionary.com

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Being Discreet

What does it mean to be discreet? My favorite dictionary website says: "1. Judicious in one's conduct or speech, esp. with regard to respecting privacy or maintaining silence about something of a delicate nature; prudent; circumspect. 2. Showing prudence and circumspection; decorous 3. Modestly unobtrusive; unostentatious."

In plain English, that means knowing when to keep our mouths shut, and not doing things to draw attention to ourselves.

The word discreet is only used one time in the Bible in an instructional way. (The other two times were used to describe someone.) There are, however, quite a few verses that refer to discretion, which is the quality of being discreet. A synonym for discreet is prudent, and there are several references to prudence or being prudent.

Let's take a look at some of these verses, and see what we can learn from them.

If you look up at the top of the page, you will see where the Apostle Paul was saying that ladies need to be taught to be discreet (Titus 2:5). It wouldn't hurt young men, either, but we'll let that happen somewhere else. As mothers though, we can teach our sons to be discreet, right along with our daughters.

As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion. Proverbs 11:22

Have you known girls or women like this? Someone who is gorgeous on the outside, but will just say anything, and always needs to be the center of attention? Not a pretty site. It's like taking a beautiful diamond and sticking it in a pig's nose. Kind of takes away from the beauty, doesn't it? And the pig is still a pig.

A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Psalm 112:5

We all need to guide our affairs with discretion. This would fall under definition number two, showing prudence. In other words, using good sense.

The
simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going. Proverbs 14:15

If we are simple-minded, we will believe everything people tell us, everything we read, and everything we see on TV. Ladies, let's not be simple-minded. We need to get wisdom, so we can be prudent and look well to our going. Don't believe every thing; check things out. Search out the truth and believe that! As Proverbs says, seek wisdom and pursue it.

A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent. Proverbs 15:5

Young ladies, don't despise the instructions you get from your parents. I know sometimes it seems like they are always on your case, always preaching. It's because they love you. They want you to get through this life with as few painful mistakes as possible. If you listen to them, even when they're correcting you for something you've done (reproof), you will be prudent. You will be making a wise choice, and it will have good consequences for you.

House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD. Proverbs 19:14

See that ladies! If you are prudent, or discreet, you will be considered a gift from God to your husband. In this verse, God is saying to men, Your father may leave you a house and a pile of money as an inheritance, but I'll give you something better. I'll give you a good wife, who knows when to speak and when not to, who makes wise decisions, who is not out to catch the eye and attention of every man in town. He's also saying, if a man has a good wife like that, she is a gift from God. I don't know about you, but I'd rather my husband think I am a gift, than for him to think I'm a millstone around his neck! A pastor we had used to say, A prudent wife is from the Lord – who do the non-prudent ones come from?

Let's all try to be more discreet. We should all think twice, or three times, before letting fly with things we feel like saying. If something is told to us in confidence, it needs to stay that way. Don't even bring it up as a prayer request – too much gossip gets started that way. Let's be aware of our appearance and our actions, and not dress or act in a way that screams "Look at me!" And above all, we need to ask for the Lord's help in this, because we can't do any of it on our own.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Thought for the Day

I'm sure you've noticed how the price of just about everything has gone up lately. Gas, food, you name it; we're paying more for it. I don't know of anyone whose pay has been increased accordingly, do you? We're all having to tighten up and watch our spending even more than usual.

It's very easy to get caught up in worrying about where the money is going to come from to meet your obligations and still put food on the table. But you know what? Our God is faithful! Look at these Scriptures:

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Psalm 37:25

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:28-34

When you feel yourself starting to worry about the bills and buying groceries and keeping the kids in clothes, read these verses again, and take comfort. Our God is good and He will always take care of us! Praise His Holy Name!


PS – Sorry I haven't posted much in a while. You may have noticed how the postings on our other blog have increased. I'm also working part time now, and don't have quite so much free time. I will try to do better, though!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Great is the Lord

For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. I Chronicles 16:25

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Psalm 48:1

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145:3

The Lord we serve is awesome and magnificent. Think about a few of the things He's done for you recently.

In many places, the Bible says that we are just dust. We live for a little while, then our bodies go back to dust and our spirits go to either Heaven or Hell, depending on our choices.

As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. Psalm 103:15-18

What seems like such a long life to us, to God is like how fast the grass sprouts up, goes to seed, and dies.

Think of how insignificant we really are to God's whole big picture, and think of how great and mighty God is. Then think of how He lovingly cares for each one of us, loving us individually as His children, making sure our needs are met. It boggles the mind.

He is definitely worthy of our praise!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Thought for the Day

And he [Jesus] said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: Luke 15:11-23

You've probably heard or read this story many times. Many people use this story to say that no matter how far away from God you go, and how far into sin you slide, you will still always be God's child. In essence, they are saying that no matter what awful thing you do, you can't lose your salvation. There are, however, too many scriptures that say otherwise.

Don't believe that? Look at the next verse:

For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Verse 24.

As far as the father was concerned, his son was DEAD! Not just gone away for a while, but dead. He had ceased to exist. The father was ecstatic to receive him back when he repented of his sin and turned back to the right way, but while he was gone into sin, he was dead to his father. In verse 20, it does say that his father saw him a long way off and ran to him, but it doesn't say that his father was nervously pacing back and forth, spending hours staring up the road to see if he was coming.

Likewise, if we turn from our Father in Heaven and go back into sin, we will be dead in His sight. But, if we turn away from sin (repent) and come back to Him begging forgiveness, He will welcome us back. So, we should not ever think that backsliding and being "just a prodigal" is no big deal. It is a huge deal!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Thought for the Day

Have you ever heard people telling about how something happened and it made them so mad they just wanted to spit? And then they say, I feel so guilty for getting angry. Why? Is it a sin?

Let's look. First, we know and agree that God cannot commit sin. It just can't happen. That's another lesson. Use a Bible computer program or a concordance and see how many references you find to God's anger or the anger of the Lord. The Old Testament is chock full of references to God getting angry. So, getting angry is obviously not sinful. When evil is being committed we should get angry. How can anyone resist evil if it doesn't make them angry first? Since we are made in the image of God, and have some of the same emotions He does (that's where we got them from), we are going to get angry on occasion.

What makes us angry, and what we do with that anger are another story.

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. Proverbs 16:32

Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9

We don't want to be in the position where every little thing sets us off. It is better to be in control of our spirit and not quick to be angry. And once we get angry, we have to get over it in a reasonable amount of time. Don't let it rest in your heart, or you will be a fool!

In the New Testament, Paul said these things:

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Ephesians 4:26.

Paul the Apostle said, "Be angry!" Just don't let it make you commit sin!

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: Ephesians 4:31

But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Colossians 3:8

When we get angry, we have to put it off, not carry it around with us for days and weeks, becoming hateful and bitter. We can't let that anger cause us to commit sins, either.

So, the next time you find yourself getting angry, be careful in how you react, and then turn it over to the Lord as soon as you can. But remember, God Almighty Himself gets angry, too.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Thought for the Day

I woke up some time during the night, and these verses came to mind while I was trying to go back to sleep.


Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5


Isn't that wonderful? Look how the Lord has blessed us; how can we do anything but bless Him back?


Have a good day, girls! Oh yeah, I had to do away with that pink on our page; it was making me ill. :-)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Thought for the Day

Matthew 25:14-30 is a parable Jesus told about the Kingdom of Heaven. You are probably familiar with the story, in which a man who was going on a journey entrusted his money to his servants, according to their abilities. When he came back, they came before him to show him how much return there was on his investment. The one who received most made the most (how it usually goes in investing), and it went on down to the servant who didn't receive much, but who was too afraid of the risk to invest. He was so afraid of losing his master's money that he buried it and gave it back to him upon his return. His master called him unprofitable because he didn't put it to use and make something of it. His little bit of money was taken from him and given to the one with the most, and the servant was tossed out into outer darkness.


Reading the story, it's pretty obvious it was dealing with money. However, God gives us other things besides money, and He expects us to use them for His glory and honor. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. James 1:17-18. Anything good that we have, any talents or gifts or abilities, were given to us by God.


Did He give us these for our own glory? N-O! Love, or charity, is one of the Fruit of the Spirit, and charity "seeketh not her own" (I Cor. 13:5). Even though money was used in the story in Matthew, the principles apply to anything the Lord has given us. Ever heard the term "Use it or lose it"? Well, there it is. If we don't use what we have to do the Lord's work, by blessing and helping others and bringing glory to the Lord's name, he will do just like the man did in the story and take our gift and give it to someone who will use it. And then, worst of all, He will toss us out of His presence and call us unprofitable.


What are your talents, gifts, or abilities? Can you cook, clean, or sew? Has God blessed you with more money than you need? Do you have compassion for those in need? Are you able to lend an ear and a shoulder to someone who needs a good cry? Let us each assess what we've been given. Dear Lord, please help us to use what You've given us for Your glory and for the furtherance of Your Kingdom. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Faith

*Love*Joy*Peace*Longsuffering*Gentleness*Goodness*

*Faith*Meekness*Temperance*

Have you ever wondered, exactly what is faith? Usually, when we ask that, we are just given the Bible description of Heb. 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." This still left me scratching my head, though. The second part of the this definition, when put with that verse, helped me to understand what the verse was saying: Faith = Belief and trust in and loyalty to God. Firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Complete trust. When you have a firm belief in something for which there is no proof, it's as if you see it in your mind, and know in your heart that it's there. What you are hoping for has substance, and to you, it is really there; you can't see it yet, but the evidence is inside you. That's the faith. We have a firm belief that Jesus is the Son of God. The only proof of this is what's written in the Bible, which to many people today is not proof at all. There is no birth certificate for Him, no DNA evidence, and it defies all logic. However, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is true. We have faith in this thing. We believe that the Bible is the actual Word of God. This is another thing that many people today don't believe. But our faith tells us it is true, and that's how we can take the Bible as the foundation for our lives.


It is impossible for us to be saved and go to Heaven without faith. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" Eph. 2:8. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Heb. 11:6. We have to have faith to believe that Jesus died to take away our sins, so we will repent. After we are saved, we have to go on and do works, so our faith will grow. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." James 2:26. Works of faith are the things we actually do in trusting God, not just saying it with our mouth. Like when we are facing a hardship, and we've done all that we can do, when we pray and turn it over to God to work it out for us, we are trusting Him. When we continue to worry and fret over it, we're not trusting him any more. Or when we fast, we are trusting God to not let us suffer any ill effects from not eating and drinking. When we are trusting God to take care of us, we don't run around panic-stricken over every thing that could possibly happen to us.


Faith is part of our spiritual armor that we put on every day, to protect us from the weapons the Devil uses against our souls. "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Eph. 6:16. "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." I Thes. 5:8. Shields and breastplates protect their wearers from arrows, fiery ones, as Paul said in Ephesians. Having a flaming arrow hit you in the chest is not pleasant! Don't go about your day without your armor on! When some little demon sends a fiery dart your way, telling you that nobody cares about you, or that nobody will know if you do some little sin, throw up your shield of faith, and say "No way! God loves me, I'm His child, and He knows everything I do!" When you resist like that, he'll leave you alone for a while.


Look what else faith will do for us, as it grows and gets stronger. "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Heb. 6:12. Faith and patience will enable us to inherit the eternal life that's been promised to us. "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." James 5:15. We can receive healing from God if we have faith enough to believe it. Who doesn't want that? "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." I John 5:4. Our faith will give us the strength to overcome the pull of worldly things, which would drag us down and keep us from Heaven.


Sometimes, the Lord sends us things to test our faith. Remember when He told Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice? He had already told Abraham how Isaac would be the father of a great nation, and Abraham's faith in God was so strong that he figured that if he killed Isaac, God would have to raise him back up to fulfill the promise. But God didn't really want Abraham to perform a human sacrifice; He just wanted to see just how much Abraham trusted Him to keep His promise. Look at these verses about trying (testing) our faith. "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." James 1:3. God doesn't give us everything lickety-split. He makes us wait; sometimes, it seems like it's almost too late, but it's not really. Over time, this increases our patience. Children expect instant gratification, and part of our growth process into mature Christians is to learn to wait. God doesn't want us to remain little children in Christ. We have to grow up. Look at this one: "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." I Pet. 1:7-9. Read that again, slowly, please. See that? The trial of our faith is more precious than gold! Why? So that when Jesus comes back, we might be worthy of praise, because we love Him and believe in Him, even though we've never seen Him. And look what the end result of that is – the salvation of our souls!


CHALLENGE: This week, let's give ourselves a faith check-up. Here are a few things to remember along the way. Jesus was talking to us about fretting over having our daily needs met, when He said this, "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" Matt. 6:30. If we are walking in God's grace, He will meet our needs on a daily basis. Are you fretting about your personal safety? "And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm." Matt. 8:26. This was when Jesus and the disciples were in the boat and a storm came up, and it looked like they were going to die. Personally, I would have been terrified, too. But Jesus was showing them, and us, that they were in the presence of the One who had the power to do the impossible. He still does, and we can still be in His presence every day. Let Him help you with the impossible. One final note: here's what Paul wrote to Timothy, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." I Tim. 4:12. Do you see where it says "of the believers", not "to the believers"? Of course we are to be an example to everyone we see, but an example of what? Every person is a good example: either of what to be, or what not to be. We are to be an example of the believers, and one of the things we need to show is faith. Let's live in such a way that when anyone, believer or not, looks at us, they can say, "That person is a Christian; I can tell by what they say, but also by how they live." Let's be examples of what a believer in Christ looks like!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Goodness

*Love*Joy*Peace*Longsuffering*Gentleness*Goodness*

*Faith*Meekness*Temperance*


Definition of Goodness: Moral excellence; virtue. Kindly feeling; kindness; generosity.

We've been told since we were little kids to "be good", but what exactly does that mean? We usually take it to mean "don't be bad." In other words, do the things we know we're supposed to do, and don't do the things we're not supposed to do. Back in 1897, a Bible dictionary was published, and this is how they described goodness in people: the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good. Read that again please. In other words, "doing the right thing". Another word for this is righteousness. Our definition summed it up as "moral excellence", but you won't find that wording in the Bible. God also has goodness, but He doesn't have to choose to do good; He has no sinful nature, so everything He does is righteous. Look what He told Moses, in Ex. 33:19: "And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy." Then look what happened in Ex. 34:6-7: "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." Now, look what the Apostle Paul said about God's goodness in Rom. 11:22, "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." There is a pattern here; do you see it? God's goodness allows Him to have mercy on us and forgive our sins when we repent; but, if we don't repent, we get His severity. He said he would by no means clear the guilty, the consequences for sin will pass down to even their grandchildren and beyond, and they will be cut off from Him (which means they won't be able to be in Heaven with Him). Serious stuff! The goodness that we have as a Fruit of the Spirit, comes from God. Look what God thinks about the goodness people try to have all by themselves without Him: "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isa. 64:6. So, we need to understand God's goodness if we're going to have it too.


King David had a lot to say about the goodness of God. Here are a few. "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13. "Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! " Psalm 31:19. "He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD." Psalm 33:5. "Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD." Psalm 25:7. The Lord loves righteousness and hates sin. He loves to show mercy, but doesn't hold back when the point comes where mercy can no longer be shown. When we are saved, and all our sins are washed away; when we have a new nature and the Spirit of God dwelling in us, it becomes almost automatic to choose good over evil, right over wrong. The problem comes when we are not nailing the old nature back down on a daily basis, and we start having that little argument in our head. You know the one. It says "This isn't really wrong; it's just something those fuddy-duddies don't like to do." Or, "It won't hurt to have just a little bit; just don't do it all the time." Or the worst one, "God realizes that you are weak; He will understand if you mess up just this once." Then we give in to the temptation, make the wrong choice, and our Goodness fruit starts having little tiny brown spots. Then it happens again, and, Oh my, what's that? A worm hole on our fruit! It's just a gradual thing, but over time, our fruit will be all brown and mushy and gross, and have bugs in it. People will see it and say, "Look at that nasty mess! That can't be one of God's trees!" In other words, "Yeah, they call themselves a Christian, but they sure don't act any different than me!" We can't just claim to be good either; it has to be obvious. "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?" Prov 20:6.


Another word for goodness is virtue. This one is used fairly often in the Bible. Look what the Apostle Paul told us in Phil. 4:8. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Our thought life is important. If we think on evil or nasty stuff all day, it will take root in us, and ruin our fruit. Here's what the Apostle Peter told his people, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Pet. 1:2-4. See, God has called us to glory and virtue. And He wants us to be "partakers of the divine nature"! That means being like Him! Then, in verses 5 through 8, Peter gave us instructions on how to do this: "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." It's a daily, continuous process, and it's done by praying, studying the Bible, hearing the Word of God, fasting, and making a conscious effort to choose the right path.


In relationships between men and women, virtue, or goodness, is really a major thing. Look how important Solomon said it is, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." Prov. 31:10. That's pretty valuable! For two reasons: First, virtuous women are not a-dime-a-dozen. It goes against human nature to put the needs of others above our own, so a lot of people don't want to do it. Second, a man that gets a good wife wouldn't trade her for all the gold and jewels in the world. But look at the opposite: "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones." Prov. 12:4. That's pretty bad. Ladies, let's be full of God's goodness, and be virtuous women, so our men don't feel rotten to the core! Read the rest of Proverbs 31 for more details!


If you look back to our definition, another aspect of goodness is generosity. Here are a few verses on that, which pretty much speak for themselves. "The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." Prov. 11:25 "A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion." Psalm 112:5. "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again." Prov. 19:17. Part of goodness is being unselfish; helping others when we have the opportunity and the wherewithal to do it.


CHALLENGE: Let's check out our goodness this week. First, let's take a good hard look at ourselves and see if we have sin in our life. People call this soul-searching. If we find anything, we need to repent of it and ask the Lord's forgiveness. Then ask Him to forgive us of any other sins we may have that we don't know about. Let's also ask for His guidance and direction in making the choices we have to make. We want God's goodness hanging all over us like pretty, shiny apples. Not our pitiful filthy rags all over the place. As Dr. Laura Schlessinger says, "Now go do the right thing!


Monday, June 2, 2008

Thought for the Day

I read an article this morning, in World magazine, about a couple who left their multi-million dollar careers in America to run a hospital in Ethiopia for people with deformities needing reconstructive surgery. It was moving to read how the man told each patient, or their parents, "Jesus brought me, brought us, here for you (or him, or her)."


Most of us don't have specialized medical training or other skills that would allow us to do huge things for other people. But, we all have something we CAN do to help someone and to glorify the Lord Jesus.


If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. I Peter 4:11.


While we may not, as ladies, be speakers in the church, we do speak to other ladies, and to our children. We can say what God would say, by speaking from the Bible and sharing Godly wisdom. And we can all minister. This doesn't necessarily mean 'being a minister'. It means helping, offering aid and comfort, and it can also mean teaching.


What abilities has God given you? You don't have to be a professional at them, just willing to use them. Let's make it a point to use our God-given abilities to glorify God through Jesus, and to be a blessing to those around us.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Gentleness

*Love*Joy*Peace*Longsuffering*Gentleness*Goodness*

*Faith*Meekness*Temperance*

This week we are discussing gentleness. Definition of Gentle: Considerate, kind, tender; Not harsh or severe; Easily managed or handled. The words gentle and gentleness are not used very many times in the Bible. You'll see in our definition that there are three main aspects of gentleness that we will be dealing with. The dictionary gives a few others, but they are not pertinent here. Just like some of our previous fruits, gentleness is a characteristic of both God and Jesus. In II Sam. 22:36, King David said this about God, "Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great." This is a great chapter; please read it some time. Paul said this about Jesus, in II Cor. 10:1, "Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:" People tend to think of gentleness as being a "woman thing", but it's pretty apparent that God expects it out of all of us. It doesn't mean to be a wimp or a pushover.


Paul gave Timothy some instructions on how a servant of the Lord is to behave: "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient," II Tim. 2:24. In writing to Titus, he said this: "To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men." Titus 3:2. God doesn't want us to be going around always ready to jump into a fight, or an argument, with anyone that crosses us. Look how Paul and his companions behaved, "But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:" I Thes. 2:7. Where does gentleness come from? Is it something you are either born with, or not? NO. Like every other good thing, it comes down from God, and is delivered to us through His Word! "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." James 3:17. "Wisdom that is from above" has to come from God's Word, because that's how He speaks to us. Among other things, it is gentle; so, when we have that Word abiding in us, we will increase in gentleness, too!


Kindness is probably the most well-known part of gentleness. If you look through the Old Testament, you will find many references to someone showing kindness. Most of them are when a warrior or king showed kindness to another nation or group of people; i.e., he let them live instead of killing them when he could have. In our day and age, God expects a little more kindness than that out of us. Look at this beautiful verse about God's kindness to His people, "In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer." Isa. 54:8. Everlasting kindness; how about that? That is my favorite chapter in the whole Bible. Read it when you get a chance; it's short. As ladies, we have an extra bit of kindness to shoot for. "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness." Prov. 31:26. We have to watch those words. Keep them sweet and kind, not sharp and nasty!


The Apostle Paul suffered many things, but he sure did talk a lot about kindness. In II Cor. 6, he was describing how the people of the world are supposed to be able to recognize followers of Christ. Look at verse 6: "By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned," People are going to be looking for fruit on us. What will they find?


When he was writing to the Colossians, he was giving them some instructions for how to behave with each other, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." Col. 3:12. We sure do want to be the elect of God and be holy and beloved in His sight! We're going to have to put up with each other's junk, and be kind, and forgive each other, because Jesus forgave us when we were sinful and rotten. The Apostle Peter also wrote somewhat about kindness. Look at this: "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." II Pet 1:5-8. This list is pretty close to the Fruit of the Spirit list, but not in the same order. See that part about "giving all diligence"? That means it doesn't "just happen". We have to work at this. You know how? First, making sure we aren't carrying around sins that we haven't repented of yet. Then, we have to pray – daily. And study the Bible – daily. How else are you going to increase in knowledge if you don't go to the source of that knowledge and get some?! Then we have to take all that, and with the help of the good Lord above, put it into practice. It's not enough to read the Word, say "God, help me be good", and then go about your merry way doing as you please. We have to make the conscious effort to do these things.


OK, let's look real quick at that last part of the definition. "Easily managed or handled." What does this boil down to? Submission. Submitting to those who have authority over us. Not being ornery and cantankerous. And who might we be submitting to? First, God Almighty: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7. Then, we submit to the laws of our land, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;" II Pet. 2:13. Then, there are individual people we have to submit to. Our pastor, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." Heb. 13:17. Our boss, "Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward." I Pet. 2:18. As wives, we submit to our husbands, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." Eph. 5:22. The young submit to the elder, and we all submit to each other rather than fighting about everything, "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble
." I Pet. 5:5.


CHALLENGE: This week, let's start making a conscious effort to be gentle whenever we are given the opportunity. Let's each give ourselves an evaluation. Are we praying on a daily basis? Are we reading the Bible daily? Are we paying attention to how we act and how we treat those around us? Following the Lord Christ is not for wimps. It's not for the faint of heart or the weak. There is spiritual warfare to be fought. As our fruit-bearing increases, so will our strength. It takes some strength to be kind sometimes. It certainly takes strength to submit to those we don't want to submit to. But guess what? "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him." Psalm 28:7. Amen!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Thought for the Day

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing. Psalm 65:9-13

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Psalm 19:1

Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:8

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Thought for the Day

What does it mean to be sober? There are several definitions. One of the most obvious is "Not drunk" (in a nutshell). The others can be pretty much summed up in this: "Being calm, quiet, serious; not loud or showy; not drawing attention to oneself".

In I Peter 3, Peter was addressing the wives, and instructing them in how to behave and dress. Look at verse 4: "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." If we have a meek and quiet spirit, that is part of being sober.

Being sober, or sobriety, does not mean that we have to go around with a long face, looking depressed all the time, though.

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. Proverbs 15:3

Friday, May 16, 2008

Thought for the Day

"And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." Matthew 12:28-31


I recently heard a wise woman say that you know you love someone when you are ready to spend the rest of your life making them happy. We can also apply this to loving the Lord God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Nothing pleases the Lord more than us keeping His commandments.


This is what Jesus said in John 14:15: "If ye love me, keep my commandments."


Are you ready to devote the rest of your life to pleasing the Lord?

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Longsuffering

*Love*Joy*Peace*Longsuffering*Gentleness*Goodness*

*Faith*Meekness*Temperance*


This week, we are taking a look at Longsuffering. We tend to kind of breeze over this fruit, when we're rattling off the list. I hadn't really given this one a lot of thought until putting this lesson together. This is definitely a fruit that I need to increase production of! Let's read the definition: "Long and patient endurance of injury, trouble, or provocation". Look at that first word: Long. Llloooonnnnggg! That tells us that being longsuffering takes more than thirty seconds. Then it says Patient. That implies that a good attitude is also involved. Next we see Endurance. Any time we see the word endure, we know it's talking about something we're not going to like very much. No one has to "endure" eating a juicy steak, or "endure" receiving a dozen roses! Look what we're enduring: Injury, Trouble, Provocation. Not fun! Personally, I don't know of anyone who loves injury, trouble, or provocation. Well, we don't have to love it, but we do have to get to the point where we endure it, with a good attitude, for a long time. Obviously this is not a fruit that will just pop out as soon as we get saved!


Why is it important to God that we be longsuffering? Because He is! Moses said in Num. 14:18, "The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation." God puts up with our junk for a long time, and forgives us if we repent; but He doesn't hold back on those that don't repent. Longsuffering is long, but it doesn't go on forever. This is what King David said about God in Psalm 86:15, "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth." God's mercy and longsuffering is what gives us time to see our sin and repent of it. Thankfully, He doesn't just snuff us out immediately!


There are several places in the Bible where the Apostle Paul exhorts us to have longsuffering. In Col. 3:12, he says, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;" Keep in mind, our fruit is what other people see that tells them we are serving the Lord Christ. Remember when Jesus said, "By their fruit ye shall know them"? Well, it's by our fruit that people know us too. If we are part of God's elect, holy and beloved in His sight, we will be putting on these things, and one of them is longsuffering. Biting someone's head off at the slightest provocation or injury is not longsuffering. When he was writing to Timothy, Paul told him how he (Paul) was an example to his followers. "But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience," II Tim. 3:10. "Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." II Tim. 2:10. He also said this to Timothy, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." II Tim. 2:3. In other words, Don't be a wimp! Endure!


Another reason why longsuffering is so important is found in Eph. 4:1-3, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." As Christians, we make up the Body of Christ. Naturally, people rub each other the wrong way, and there is friction. But, if we are able to patiently endure the injuries, trouble, and provocation that we cause each other (i.e., be longsuffering with each other), we can keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That's what keeps us stuck together in Christ, without fighting all the time.


It is the Lord's longsuffering with us that allows us to receive salvation. When we break His commandments and laws, it causes Him pain, and even provokes Him. But because He is merciful and longsuffering, He allows us to see the error of our ways and repent. Look what Paul said about this in Romans 2:4, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Here's what the Apostle Peter said about it in II Pet. 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us–ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Then, in verse 15, he said, "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;" Without that longsuffering, we wouldn't even have a chance of salvation.


CHALLENGE: This week, let's really take a look at ourselves, and see how we're doing in the longsuffering department. When someone says something that hurts our feelings, do we snap at them and do them injury in return? Do we get our hiney on our shoulder and walk around with an injured attitude the rest of the day? When something troubles us, or someone provokes us (makes us mad), do we start screaming, calling names, throwing things, or expressing the desire to shoot them with a grenade launcher? Keeping our lips zipped in these situations will help with the outward showing of longsuffering, but it takes prayer to keep the inward part calm. The part where the patience kicks in. Let's ask the Lord each day, to help us have more longsuffering. It's not an easy fruit to produce, but that probably makes it even more pleasing to the Lord. Look what Paul said in Col. 1:10-11, "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;" Look at that! We want to be worthy and pleasing to the Lord, and be fruitful, and increase in the knowledge of God. He will give us strength, according to His power (think about that: God has ALL the power, and will strengthen us with it, as much as we need!) Then we can have patience and longsuffering with joyfulness! There's that joy again. God will make it so that being longsuffering is not a torture for us! Look what He did for Abraham in Heb. 6:13-15, "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." See that? Abraham had to patiently endure (be longsuffering) first. Then, he got the promise. Let's really make an effort, with the Lord's help of course, to patiently endure those small things that come our way to cause us injury, trouble, and provocation.


Thought for the Day

Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. 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. 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


Psalm 51:1-13
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.


Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Thought for the Day


Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.



1Timothy 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.


Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.


1Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Are you content with what you have, or are you continuously scrabbling to get more? More money, more clothes, more shoes, more than your friends and neighbors. More house, more land, more car. Let's pray and ask the Lord to help us to be content with what He has given us.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Forgiveness

Jesus had a few things to say about forgiveness. In Matthew 5:23-24, He said, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” If you are reconciled to someone, it appears that someone had to forgive the other, right? (By the way, “Ought” means “anything”.)

Jesus also said this in Mark 11:25-26, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” That’s serious. If God our Father doesn’t forgive our trespasses, we can’t go to Heaven!


See what Jesus told the Apostle Peter: Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22.


Do you know what keeps us from forgiving others? Usually, it’s pride. Our pride says, “He wounded me, and I won’t forget it!” Unfortunately, pride is on the list of things God hates. Proverbs 6:16-19; Proverbs 8:13.


When we don’t forgive, we become bitter, and bitterness is not pleasing to God. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32.


Today, ask the Lord to help you to forgive those who have hurt you. If you know of someone who feels that you have slighted them in some way, ask their forgiveness too.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Thought for the Day


Proverbs 14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

This does not mean we are all supposed to go get jobs in the construction industry. Neither does it mean that we all get to have a house built to our specifications!

It means that if we are wise, we will contribute to the stability of our homes. Our husbands, if we're married, will be able to trust us and depend on us to carry our share of the load. We will do all in our power to keep our marriages strong. Our homes, whether they be mansions or camper trailers, will be refuges of peace.

But, if we are foolish, we will gripe and complain. We will let the house fall down around our heads, and our husbands will choose to be anywhere but home.

How do we get that wisdom? "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." Prov. 9:10.
Then what will happen? "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." Prov. 31:30.


Monday, May 5, 2008

Thought for the Day


Psalm 34:14-17


14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
(Why?)
15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
(Praise God!)
17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
(If He didn't, we would have no hope!)


As the Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:31, "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"


Amen and Amen!

Friday, May 2, 2008

Peace

We are continuing our study of the Fruit of the Spirit. They are found in Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”


The word Peace has several different meanings, and is used in different ways throughout the Bible. If you look it up in a concordance, you’ll see many instances where the phrase “held his peace” or something similar is used. This just means someone kept their thoughts to themselves, rather than speaking. Peace was included in greetings and parting words, also. “Peace be unto you” and “Go in peace” are used quite often throughout the Bible. One of the sacrifices God required of the Israelites was a peace offering, and throughout the Old Testament, you’ll see references to different nations or groups of people who made peace with each other, i.e., they agreed not to fight and kill each other. These are all good, but we’re going to dwell on the kind of peace that comes as a Fruit of the Spirit. This is the kind of peace that comes as a result of having surrendered our will to the will of the Lord. Let’s read our definition right now.


Peace: The absence of mental stress or anxiety. Inner contentment; serenity.

The absence of conflict


Peace is given to us by the Lord, and the longer we serve Him and walk in His ways, the more peaceful we will become. This is not to say that we won’t have circumstances that cause us stress or anxiety. We will have plenty of those; but, we can have peace, knowing that our lives are in the loving hands of the Almighty God, and He is in control of all that happens to us. Look what King David said in Psalm 4:8, “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.” This from a man who spent years running for his life! The Apostle Paul also instructed us not to fret over things, but to let God handle them. Phil. 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” This kind of careful means full of care, or worry. Paul is telling us, “Don’t fret and worry; pray and ask God for what you need, with thanks”, and God will give us the best kind of peace there is!


To get this wonderful peace, though, we must first repent of all sin in our lives, and be doing our best, with the Lord’s help, to live every day without sin. God doesn’t hand out His perfect peace to just anybody! Isa 48:22: “There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.” Psalm 37:37 shows the other side, “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.” Also, see what Paul had to say about it in Romans. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” (Rom. 5:1) and “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Rom. 8:6). Being justified through faith (that is how we get saved) and being spiritually minded (being conscious of the Lord in our daily life) will give us peace! This leads us to the next point.


If we are going to have peace, our minds cannot stay cluttered up with a constant stream of worldly things (carnality). Books, music, TV, MySpace; they are all good (or can be; should be!) and have their place, but we absolutely must spend time thinking on the Lord and His Word. Isaiah 26:3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” If we blunder through our days, with never a thought to God or His Word, we will be so full of fears and anxiety, we won’t even be able to put our trust in the Lord, because we won’t have any faith left. Proverbs 3:1-2 says, “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.” God’s law and commandments are in our Bible, so if we read it, remember it and do it, we will get added peace! Psalm 119:165 says, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” This doesn’t mean we will never get mad; that part of the verse is for another lesson! If we love God’s Word we will make sure we are getting some of it every day, and it will give us great peace! How awesome is that!


Another aspect of this Fruit of the Spirit peace is living our lives with a minimum of conflict. This does not mean that we are supposed to lay down and be a doormat for everyone that wants to wipe their dirt on us. Paul put it pretty clearly in Romans 12:18, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” There are occasions when we have to stand our ground and fight; we can not let evil prevail. However, those occasions don’t arise every day in our normal lives. Many times, in Proverbs, we are cautioned against being a “brawling woman” or a “contentious woman”. Nobody wants to be around a woman who always wants to argue and fight. A man would rather live in a barn with cows! (We could do another whole lesson on that, too!) The Lord doesn’t want us stirring the pot all the time (and I don’t mean cooking!) He wants us to seek for peace. Look what Paul said in Hebrews 12:14, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” James had this to say, “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” James 3:18. When you make peace, you are sowing seeds of righteousness; righteousness will grow from this! Then looks what happens: “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” Isaiah 32:17. Psalm 34:14 says, “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” This kind of peace doesn’t just happen; we have to MAKE it and SEEK it. Human nature wants to fight every time we feel slighted or mistreated even a little bit. This is part of the “old woman” that we have to crucify every day. We have to ask the Lord to help us nail down that part of us that wants to constantly play the victim and make us, and everyone around us, miserable.


Jesus, through His death and resurrection, made it possible for us to have peace. He paid the price to remove our sins, which allows us access to God, and eternity in Heaven. Look how Isaiah said it in chapter 53, verse 5: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” That is so beautiful; read it again. While Jesus was here, He said some things that can give us peace and comfort, if we’ll hold on to them. In John 14:27, He said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Then, in John 16:33, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” We will have trouble and sorrow and tribulation, here on earth, but through Jesus we can also have peace, because the bad things are temporary.


CHALLENGE: This week, we’ll continue our daily evaluation (Do we have any sin in our lives that we need to get rid of; how did we do on being loving today; did we make time to read the Bible; did we offer praise to the Lord, so we can increase our joy?) Let’s add to that. Pick out a scripture passage about peace, and memorize it. It can be one from this lesson, or any other one that you like. Several times each day, repeat it to yourself. You don’t have to do it out loud. A good way to remember is to say your verse to yourself every time you are in the restroom! God wants us to have peace. The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” Psalm 29:11. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” II Peter 3:14. Let’s do all we can to make our Peace fruit grow!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Joy

We are continuing our study of the Fruit of the Spirit. They are found in Galatians 5:22-23. The Fruit of the Spirit are important, because it is by them that other people see that we belong to the Lord. “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:16-20.


*Love*Joy*Peace*Longsuffering*Gentleness*Goodness*Faith*

*Meekness*Temperance*


This week, we are taking a look at joy. Read the definition.


Definition of Joy: Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness. The expression or manifestation of such feeling.


Joy is not just plain old happiness; it is something much deeper than that. Joy is something you can have even when things are going badly, even though you’re not happy at that moment. Unlike some of the other fruits of the Spirit, joy is not something you can practice, or work harder at. It’s something you just have. Or don’t have. However, there are ways to get more!


How do we get joy? There are various events in our life that bring us joy, like getting married and having babies, but we’re talking about the Joy that comes from the Lord; the Fruit of the Spirit Joy. We first receive joy when we get saved; repenting of our sins and asking forgiveness from the Lord fills us with great joy. Read Psalm 51 right now. Look what King David said about it in verse 12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” This was after he had sinned by taking Uriah’s wife and having him killed. David knew that if the Lord cleansed him from his sin, he would have joy again. Look what else he said about this, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11. We have to have our sins removed to be in God’s presence, and look how wonderful it is! The Apostle Paul also told us what our joy is, in Romans 5:11, “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” Neither David nor Paul had easy, carefree lives. David had wars, royal-family intrigues, and enemies, yet even with all that, he had joy from the Lord! Paul spent his time traveling by very grueling means, preaching and starting churches, writing lengthy letters to his followers, and trying to stay alive. He wasn’t always successful at the latter, having died once and come back. He was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned, and wound up getting executed, but look what he told one of the churches he wrote to: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” I Thes. 2:19. Even with all that, his joy was in serving the Lord, knowing that at Jesus’ return, he would be in the Lord’s presence.


Just like a peach tree, as we get older (more mature in Christ), the amount of fruit we are able to produce increases. So, as we get more knowledge and wisdom, and more experience in the Lord, other things will add to our joy. When we first get saved, we have such a hunger for the things of God, and just want to devour His Word. Hearing the Bible preached, as well as studying it on our own, and memorizing it adds to our joy. Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” Jer. 15:16. See what Jesus Himself told us “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:11.


Another thing that adds to our joy is having a need, and receiving help from the Lord. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24. Jesus told us that if we need something, all we have to do is ask God, in Jesus name, and He will grant it to us, and we will have full joy! Of course, this does not include lottery winnings and things like that. We still can’t ask for stuff to “consume it on our own lusts”. But that’s a different lesson!


As a parent, I can assure you that these next two scripture verses are so true! I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3 John 1:4. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.” Prov. 23:24. Likewise, having a child that is not serving the Lord, not walking in truth, and making foolish choices, is a heartbreaking and grievous thing for a parent.


There are numerous passages in the Bible that speak of joy, many of them dealing with the expression of that joy, primarily through praise, singing, dancing (to the Lord!), etc. Let’s take a good look at ourselves this week. Do we have joy in our souls, even in the midst of troubles. Do we let cares of this life steal our joy from us? The devil takes pleasure in stealing our joy, which is another reason to resist him and make him flee! Read what King David had to say in Psalm 5:11, “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. This is what David and his people did when they were getting things together for Solomon to build the temple: “Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.” I Chron. 29:9. King David was a praising man; that is evidenced by the Psalms that he wrote also. He obviously had great joy, in spite of his troubles, because he wrote about it a lot. Lesson to be learned: PRAISE THE LORD! It is a fact of human nature that our feelings follow our actions, at least most of the time. If you don’t feel like doing something, and act as if you do, your feelings will usually turn around and you will end up feeling like it. In other words, even if you aren’t feeling especially worshipful, praise the Lord anyway, and you will feel it shortly! You don’t have to jump around and make a spectacle of yourself to praise Him. Take time each day this week to worship the Lord. Thank Him for all the great things He’s given you and done for you. Tell Him how wonderful He is; He loves to hear it, and even has special angels in Heaven whose only job is to tell Him how good and holy He is. Don’t have a hunger in your heart for the Bible any more? Read it anyway! The more you get into it, the tastier it is. David said it was sweeter also than honey in the honeycomb, and Honey, that’s sweet! Need help resisting the devil? The joy of the Lord is our strength!


CHALLENGE: Let’s keep working on expressing love this week, and let’s seek more Joy from the Lord. Pray today and ask Him for it! Make sure you aren’t carrying around unrepented sins; have to get rid of those to get the joy. Worship the Lord daily; you can do this in song too, as long as you really mean it and aren’t just repeating words. Dig into the Bible daily; this is your food source. How long can your body go without eating, a couple days? Don’t let your soul starve to death! Starving peach trees do not make fruit!