What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately XLII (42)…
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.
(please click on the Bible books/chapters/verses below to read the actual Scripture passages)
(October, 2015)
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Perspective
Heavenly Father, please help us to tremble at what is in Your Word
And not at what is happening around the world
Sin
A. Our personal sins are to be grieved over, not glossed over;
confessed to Christ, not celebrated with culture;
repented of, not rewarded for…
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B. All sin is terrible, but sin has stages of growth like people (Genesis 15:16).
A child & adult are both human but only one is fully grown.
Fully grown sin isn’t wrestled/struggled against but celebrated;
fully grown sin teaches others to do it.
(Isaiah 3:9; Romans 1:32; Psalm 12:7-8)
God Loved You Before He Created You
A. Upon receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior by faith,
you are a direct beneficiary of ALL that God did in the Bible!
The LORD’s Biblical acts weren’t just done for “other people,” they were done for you as well!!!
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B. As parents lovingly & intentionally prepare a nursery for an unborn baby,
God lovingly & intentionally cared for you personally before you were born!
Isaiah 49:1; Jeremiah 1:5; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 1:11-12; Acts 17:26-27
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The Bible
A. Why teach on difficult/hard to accept passages in the Bible (veggies)?
To counter the diet of easy passages (sugar) that Christians have been fed.
Acts 20:27; Luke 24:26-27; 2 Timothy 3:15-17;
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B. To counter “every day a Friday” soundbites
we must walk Christians into the Biblical depths of “Monday morning” Truth
& follow Jesus even there.
John 6:52-69, especially verses 52, 60 and 66
Fearing God
Biblical fear helps us receive Jesus & say—“I won’t miss out on You!”
Biblical fear also helps us follow Jesus & say—“I won’t mess with You!”
(For more on this, please click HERE)
New Life In Jesus
Jesus pursues us to arrest us…
to convict us of our need for Him
so we will turn ourselves in to Him as our Judge
so He can then set us free as our Savior!
What an amazing plea bargain!!!
Knowing God Personally
A. As we’re concerned with & ask the LORD for more of Himself—the Living God (majesty!)
we’ll be less concerned with & ask Him for less of dead presidents (money).
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B. The spousal relationship doesnt stop on the wedding day, it truly begins!
Same for our friendship with Jesus Christ; keep seeking Him after you receive Him!
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C. God isnt to be dissected like a specimen but discerned thru the Scriptures—
He is to be known intimately;
this is the very definition of eternal life (John 17:3).
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D. Know God personally,
or we’re just studying the LORD like George Washington or Amelia Earhart—
a 2-D concept in our libraries instead of the 4-D Christ in our lives.
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E. Certainly we can “know as we go”—being with Jesus in the course of our daily lives (Matthew 28:19-20).But there’s also a knowing that comes only thru stillness (Psalm 46:10).
Persecution
In Christ, His people can boldly say to evil spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:12),
“Do your worst to me.
Jesus has already done His best for me.”
Child-Like Faith In Jesus
Unlike the boy with the five loaves & two fish,
oftentimes all I have to offer Jesus is five crusty heels & two smelly fish heads—
Yet He still works miracles!