What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately XII…
Greetings My Friends~
As a humble pilgrim following Jesus through the rainforests and deserts of this earthly life, I would like to humbly share some of what God has been bubbling up in my mind/heart lately.
I pray that these thoughts are cushions in your shoes, balm to your burns, umbrellas for the rain, and shade to the scorching heat as you too follow the Lord Jesus each day.
SoulSpartan
(July 15th-31st, 2013)
(Please click on Bible links below to read the entire passage listed)
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I. Obedience To God
Jesus doesn’t ask us to obey Him; He commands us. But He orders in such a way that we realize He’s doing us an eternal favor by letting us serve Him.
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II. Salvation
A. The devil wants you to not care about Jesus & eternity OR the devil wants you to get as close to Christ as possible w/out accepting His forgiveness. Be certain of your salvation!
B. The Book of Life contains the names of those people who are going to heaven (Revelation 21:22-27):
Its pages are made out of the parchment of Jesus’ Cross.
Its binding is the unchanging faithfulness and certainty of the promises of God.
It’s written in the ink of Jesus’ blood.
Its quill is a feather of the Holy Spirit.
Its Scribe is God the Father.
Your name can be there too…trust in Jesus for your forgiveness!
C. Jesus lived the perfect life we should have lived.
If we trust in Him as Savior, we get HIS gpa (perfect) and HIS graduation diploma (phd) with a full-ride scholarship to heaven (paid for with His suffering on the cross).
As we study in class (learning to be obedient to Him), then, for the remainder of our earthly lives, we do so not to earn grades or graduation but rather to thank Him for His love and to help invite others to choose to enroll in His amazing salvation school!
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III. Keeping Track of Wrongs
Holy Spirit, please help us not to keep track of the ways (we think that) others mistreat us;
help us also not to keep track of the ways that we serve others (which sometimes causes us to get upset when others dont notice our efforts).
Please help us to not grow weary in doing good
but to trust that You Who see what is done in secret will reward us on the day that Jesus returns.
In His name we pray, Amen.
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IV. Knowing God
Holy One, please help me to remember that today is a good day,
not because of what happens TO ME throughout the day
but because of You Who are WITH ME throughout the day.
In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
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V. Complaining/Being Discontent
Just as sometimes it’s easier (and more fun) to complain than to be part of the hard work of improving,
so too is it oftentimes easier to choose to remain discontent with life than to endure the rigor of learning to be joyful in Christ in all situations.
The Holy Spirit wants to teach you–will you let Him?
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VI. Your Worth/Value To God
No matter WHAT happens today, your worth/value to God cannot be lowered.
Something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, and Jesus paid for you with His LIFE.
You cannot be any more important to the Savior than you already are! Let’s live out of that glorious truth today!
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VII. Carrying Our Cross Each Day
A. The LORD has a MESSAGE for you (His unearnable love/forgiveness),
not a MASSAGE (telling you what you want to hear);
accepting Jesus’ forgiveness and then following Him each day will not always be easy, comfortable, relaxing–
it won’t always make you feel good but it will always be good for you.
B. Shampoo cap was loose this morning, nothing came out when squeezed. Tightened the cap and the shampoo flowed.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit tightens our lives’ circumstances to bring/flow out of us those Jesus-like qualities of
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
gentleness,
self-control,
agape love.
Styrofoam weights will never make our muscles stronger/bigger.
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VIII. Staying Alert
May we help each other stay awake/alert during these last days until Christ’s return as we love the LORD and love others sacrificially…
But if we do grow weary and fall asleep at the wheel,
He Who does not sleep will steady, protect, and invigorate us!
You are NEVER ALONE!
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IX. Sin
If the single initial sin of Adam & Eve set in motion such catastrophic and painful consequences both for humans AND God,
why do we allow ourselves to get so close to the edge of sin?
Why do we think our own “little” sins won’t do that much damage in our lives, aren’t “such a big deal”?
Why do we allow “cute” little tiger cubs in our homes, forgetting that they will eventually become 600 pound carnivores to devour us?
Would we drink water that has tiny drops of deadly poison in it? #fleefromsin #runtowardJesus
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X. Healing From Past Wounds; Praising God In The Midst of Suffering
Please heal us, Holy Spirit, of the wounds inflicted on us by
-ourselves
-others
-the devil
If You choose NOT to heal us…please help us to still lift broken, bruised, and bloodied hands to praise Your name.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
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XI. Seeking The Approval Of Others
Jesus angered certain people with His
-actions (Mark 3:1-6),
-words (Matthew 15:15, John 8:57-59), and
-beliefs (Matthew 26:62-66).
If you’re a Christian, are you willing to sometimes do the same
or do you change your obedient actions, words and beliefs for the approval of others?
Love,
SoulSpartan