What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately LXXI (71)…
Greetings My Friends~
As a simple pilgrim
following the Lord 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
through the Bible.
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)
Suffering
dough doesnt decide when it should be removed from the oven–
only the Baker determines
when the dough has been heated into bread.
Trust the LORD…
Christ, Not Circumstances…
No matter what rages around us,
may God’s people be full of joy & peace
because of Christ Jesus Who reigns in us
Our Father Is The Greenwich By Which We Set Our Clocks
There’s a timing for the fulfillment of God’s promises–
often not immediate!
Acts 7:17: “As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham…”
Repentance Is Our Proper Response To Our Sin
A. When the LORD rebukes us for our sin,
may He bless us to respond
with true repentance & faithful/generous obedience
like the soldiers in 2 Chronicles 28:12-15.
B. How should U.S. Christians respond to our worldliness/lack of holiness?
Daniel 9:1-19–a powerful template for genuine & serious repentance.
C. We must come clean to the Lord Jesus–
admitting guilt & repentance–
in order to become clean in the Lord Jesus–
forgiveness & new life!
“I have declared to both Jews and Greeks
that they must turn to God in repentance
and have faith in our Lord Jesus” Acts 20:21.
Fear Of The LORD
In the Fellowship of the Ring, Galdalf raises his voice at Bilbo;
Bilbo is scared but goes TO Gandalf to be embraced (click HERE).
True fear of the Lord causes us
to hide IN Christ
not FROM Him!
Who Do You Rely On?
2 Chronicles 16:12–Not an indictment of using medicine/hospitals
but going our own way apart from the LORD
instead of His way thru Him (also John 10).
The LORD Always Should Get The Credit
Father–do such a work thru Your Word & people
that it’s obvious to all
that You’ve done it–
may we be unnoticed & Your fame increase!
“When all our enemies heard about this,
all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence,
because they realized that this work had been done
with the help of our God” Nehemiah 6:16.
In Christ, Death Is A Door, Not A Dungeon…
For those in Christ by repentance & faith–
though we die
our Father wont abandon us to the grave.
We just pass thru death
on the Way to joy in His presence forever!
Not Saved By Good Works…But For Them…
Saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ leads to sacrificial service—
Philippians 2:17: “…the sacrifice & service coming from your faith…”
Father Knows Best…
May we cry out to the LORD daily
to make us holy & humble & healthy
to honor Him every way—
He knows us better than we know ourselves!
Not Skimming The Surface But Diving The Depths!
LORD help us serve You wholeheartedly,
not just on the surface!
2 Chronicles 25:2: “[Amaziah] did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,
but not wholeheartedly.”
Living Trees Must Bear Fruit…
True repentance then leads to
personal dedication to the LORD (consecration) &
willing/sacrificial choices & actions
of gratitude to Him–
Repentance Isn’t Feeling Miserable All The Time
True repentance leads from feeling somber to joy!
It leads to receiving Christ’s blood for forgiveness
& then singing & worship & gladness!
Idolatry
A. By worshiping false gods in response to his trouble,
Ahaz literally “cut the legs out from under him”–
he had no place to rest–
B. Among the detestable practices in 2 Chronicles 28:1-3:
sacrificing children in fire &
worshipping any god other than the LORD.
Idolatry is serious.
“Whatever Works” Doesn’t Work
Great example of the results of pragmatism/
trusting in our own understanding:
The downfall of ourselves & those we serve.
Confess, Don’t Try To Escape
The LORD humbled Ahaz because of his sin:
instead of repenting
Ahaz tried to get himself out of trouble
which caused more sin & trouble–
No Self-Confidence, All God-Confidence!
Oh for boldness from the LORD &
confidence in the LORD
like Obed,
who confronted & rebuked an army of rampaging warriors
Biggest Jackpot Ever
Isaiah 41 (especially verses 8-10):
no drink more Refreshing
no food more Nourishing
no gift more Valuable
no experience more Amazing–
Undeserved Salvation in Christ!
Both/And, Not Either/Or…
God chose His people to be holy & blameless before Him in love–
Not hardness-holiness or
licentious-love (anything goes).
Holiness & love–both…
Thank you for your encouraging insights MJ! God bless you and your sweet family! 🙂
Thank you for the encouragement! 🙂