What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately XXXII (32)…
Greetings My Friends~
As a simple 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.
(November & December 2014)
(Please click on the Bible chapter/verses below to read the actual Scriptural text)
- Knowing God Personally
I don’t want to just bring God His coffee (serve Him);
I want to also sit down and have a cup of coffee with Him (know Him)!
Help me Jesus!
- God’s Love Fuels Our Good Deeds
Paul prays for us to have POWER—
not merely to do good deeds for God
but power to UNDERSTAND how much God loves us!!! (Ephesians 3:17-19)
The more we understand how much God loves us
the more we will DO the good deeds He has prepared for us!
The more a pitcher of juice is filled up,
the more it is then able to pour out into the empty glasses of the thirsty masses (2 Corinthians 9:11)…
- God’s Love Pursues Us
God’s “goodness & mercy” will “follow us” “all the days of our lives” (Psalm 23)—
even when we turn our back on Him & His Love,
even when we wander in search of other “loves”!
- God Finishes What He Starts
Yahweh is the God Who follows through:
He starts & finishes,
He designs & builds,
He dreams & makes it happen (Hebrews 11:9-11).
- God’s Truth Is Offensive
Even if Christians were perfectly loving (we are NOT, I am sad to say!),
our faith in Jesus would still be offensive to many—
it implicitly tells them they need a Savior,
that they need to be forgiven, healed, and saved from punishment (Hebrews 11:7).
- Faith
.
A. Like Abel—whose “faith still speaks”—
we can leave a legacy tomorrow
by putting our Jesus-faith into practice today in love (Hebrews 11:4).B. Praying to God is like asking a DJ to play a certain song;
faith in God then is like choosing to dance to whatever music the DJ plays.
- Identity
Holy Spirit, please help me to focus more on
my identity in Christ
than my production for Christ.
In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
- Jesus’ Sacrifice
Jesus didn’t write a check to solve our problem of sin.
He got neck deep in our problems/sins &
emptied,
not a bank account,
but Himself for us (Philippians 2:5-11).
- Prayer
Lord Jesus, please help me to focus more on what You have done/do for me
and less on what I have done/do for You.
In Your name I pray, amen.
- Christmas
Heavenly Papa, bring us especially close to You this Christmas season
as we reflect & remember how far You came thru Jesus to be close to us.
- Suffering
God invites us to share with others who suffer—
not the answers He gave us FOR our suffering
but the comfort He gives us IN our suffering (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
- Success/Accomplishments
In my earthly life,
no matter what Jesus accomplishes thru me,
it’s nothing compared to what He accomplished for me: free eternal life.
.
Humbly,
SoulSpartan