What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately LII (52)…
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 wherever He leads.
(please click on the Bible books/chapters/verses below to read the actual Scripture passages)
(April 2016)
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Stop Following Your Heart
(& surrender to Him Who offers you a new one)!
Luke 12:29-30: We will run/chase after what we set our hearts on.
God help us set our hearts on Jesus–help us desire & seek Him above all!
Why Read The Bible?
To survive your suffering:
“If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction” (Psalm 119:92).
To live through your suffering:
“I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have preserved my life” (Psalm119:93)
To have comfort in your suffering:
“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (Psalm 119:50).
To have hope in your suffering:
“Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope” (Psalm 119:49).
Nothing Has Really Changed
A. satan to Adam & Eve in Genesis 3:1-13 is also today’s cultural anthem:
“Dont trust God’s Word;
eat the fruit,
do what you want,
trust your feelings/what you see,
follow your heart,
be your own god,
achieve your own goals in your own way.”
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B. Luke 9:52-53: The Samaritans didnt welcome Jesus–
by going to Jerusalem to worship, He declared them wrong.
He declares all humans wrong today & needing Him to save us.
So we dont welcome Him either.
Slow Down
God can but often doesn’t comfort us in the drive-thru lane
but only as we come in & sit down
to taste & see that the LORD is good.
God’s Knowledge & Our Responsibility
Though Jesus predicted Peter’s three denials,
afterwards Peter wept bitterly & took responsibility for his sin–
The foreknowledge of God doesn’t remove our guilt/responsibility.
The culture or Christ? The world Or The Word?
A. Luke 8:52-53: People laughed at Jesus
because they relied on their own so-called knowledge, opinions, beliefs & perspective.
Oh how we do the same today, often without realizing it,
every time we make choices according to the world and not the Word.
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B. Against God’s wisdom, His people wanted to be like other nations.
So God chose for them a king based on looks & height, not character.
A cosmetic king for a cosmetic people.
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C. 1 Samuel 23:15-17–how did Jonathan help David in his stress?
By finding strength in God (v 16) thru remembering the Word/promise of God (v 17).
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D. Would you design your own pacemaker according to your opinions?
Let Jesus—the Author of Life—define Truth thru the Bible: eternal life’s pacemaker!
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E. Would you fly in an airplane of your design,
trusting your earthly life to your engineering opinions?
Same for eternal life—trust Jesus alone via the Bible alone.
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F. David was scared of God (2 Samuel 6:9),
then got courage to pray to Him (2 Samuel 7:27).
How?
The LORD’s love & promises thru His Word (2 Samuel 7:5-16).
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G. Methods may change in different seasons—Mission (Truth) doesnt.
Builders may change some of their techniques for building a house in winter
but a foot is always twelve inches.
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H. Strategy may change in different eras—Scripture (Truth) must not.
Share a song via mp3 instead of a phonograph—but dont change the melody/lyrics!
Worship
Holy Spirit, help us fall at Jesus’ feet
in awe & reverence,
humility & worship,
repentance & joy,
speechless adoration not sporadic attention,
concerned with giving Him praise
not getting ourselves a raise.
Giving vs. Accumulating; Sharing Out vs. Storing Up
What if by giving to others Jesus’ gifts to us
we remain healthy like a flowing stream
& by not doing so
we become poisoned like a stagnant pond?
Envy
Father, thank You for Your mercy when I envy.
Like Your people grumbling in the desert,
my envy subtly accuses You
of not taking great care of me and
of not being greatly concerned about me;
my discontent reveals a lack of trust in You & Your promises.
Worry
Some of what we worry about we are to treat like spam email:
do not look at the subject, do not open to read, do not respond—just delete!
Money
We cant serve God & money (Luke 16:13);
What does your checkbook reveal?
How we spend shows whether money is
a tool for Christ or
a treasure for comfort.
Christians
Christians are the aroma of life to some
& aroma of death to others (2 Corinthians 2:15-17).
There’s no way to please all—even Jesus could not do that.