What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately LVIII (58)…
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)
(September 2016)
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The Gospel
A. The glory of God!
His awesomeness, our awfulness,
His amazing grace to take away our awful disgrace!
Believe, receive & become His reborn child!
B. The glory of God must put us in our place on earth
(e.g. humbling us; convicting us of sin; what we deserve)
so the glory of God can put us in our place in heaven
(e.g. exalting us; forgiving us of sin; what we don’t deserve!).
C. Fly to the Lord Jesus, dear friend, via the Bible and let Him have His way with you.
Let the Surgeon do His work, not to make you better, but alive!
A surgeon must cut in order to cure; a surgeon can’t cure with comfort only.
Same with King Jesus–He can’t save us only thru hugs but thru humbling us.
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When Help Sometimes Isn’t Helpful…
Holy Spirit please help us be wise when we try to
bless, cheer up & encourage
those who are suffering deeply!
Proverbs 25:20:
Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
or like vinegar poured on a wound,
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
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We Can Bless God!
Father, help us to refresh You
as we deliver Your Gospel to the world locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally!
Holy Spirit help us be faithful & trustworthy messengers of the Father’s message
to bless & honor Him!
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We Need God-Esteem, Not self-esteem…
When we feel bad about ourselves we often respond by
trying to feel good about ourselves;
the focus is still on us.
The Bible teaches us instead to feel good about God:
put the focus on Him
& our feelings will eventually fall into place.
Lamentations 3:1-33
(verses 1-20 = Jeremiah’s suffering as he focused on his feelings;
verses 21-33 = Jeremiah’s hope & encouragement as he focused on God’s character)
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Forgive us, Lord Jesus…
Forgive us, Lord Jesus, for treating You like a mascot
Who is here only to entertain & amuse us
between the innings of our lives as we pursue our goals.
Forgive us, Lord Jesus, for treating You like a buddy at a sporting event,
trading a few laughs & high fives but then getting back to our plans & dreams.
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Disrespecting God
Without asking I may open the fridge of close friends-
but I’d never walk on their couch with shoes.
Yet we do this to God with hyper-casualness & a lack of awe/reverence for Him.
Hebrews 12:28-29
Habakkuk 2:20
Exodus 3:1-6