What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately LXXV (75)…
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.
.
The Gospel!
When the Lord Jesus erases His people’s sin & guilt–justification–
He also leaves no faint pencil marks
of what was written in our record! Isaiah 43:25
The Gospel!
The Truest Holiday (Holy Day)
In annual life, black Friday comes after thanksgiving;
In eternal life, thanksgiving comes after Black Friday—Psalm 118:21
Real Christian Fellowship
A. Christian fellowship–“Women who work very hard in the Lord…
Rufus’ mother has been a mother me…
the whole church enjoys G’s hospitality”–Romans 16:12-23.
B. Snapshot of Christian fellowship–“A & J have been in prison with me.
They are esteemed…
my dear friend/our coworker’s devotion to Christ stood the test”—
Romans 16:7-10.
C. JPG of Christian fellowship–“greet the church that meets at their house…
greet my dear friend E…
greet Mary who worked very hard for you”–Romans 16:5-6.
D. Portrait of Christian fellowship–“Greet P & A, my co-workers in Christ Jesus,
[who] risked their lives for me…
all Christians are grateful to them”–Romans 16:3.
E. Christian fellowship–“receive Phoebe in the Lord in a worthy way…
give her any help she needs…she has blessed many”–Romans 16:2.
F. Blessing of Christian fellowship–“pray that I may come to you with joy,
by God’s will, & in your company be refreshed”–Romans 15:31-32.
G. Joy of Christian fellowship–
“I’ll visit you in the full measure of Christ’s blessing…
join me in my struggle by praying for me”–Romans 15:28-30.
H. Beauty of Christian fellowship–“I’m on my way in service of the Lord’s people…
other Christians were pleased to contribute to poor Christians”–Romans 15:26.
I. Glorious picture of Christian fellowship: “longing to visit you…
hope to have you assist me on my journey…
enjoy your company”–Romans 15:23-24.
.
See The Sickness To Seek The Cure
A. Without understanding the depths of our sinfulness,
people at best only accept exercise (good deeds!)
to improve their heart condition…
instead of surrendering & submitting to
the Lord Jesus Christ’s total heart-transplant surgery (repentance & rebirth).
B. We must not skip the “bad news” of the Gospel—
the depths of our sinfulness—
as a doctor must not skip the diagnosis of disease
& talk only of the cure…
such skipping leads to people only being
generally informed of the cure
not personally transformed by it!
Those who think they are healthy dont submit to drastic surgery…
.
Seek The Giver Before The Gifts
A. Shattering the stained-glass of the so-called “prosperity gospel”
(which is no Gospel at all): 1 Corinthians 4:9-13.
B. May the LORD help us not to focus mostly on
“what He has for me tomorrow” (gifts)
but instead on
“Who He has for me today”–Himself (Giver).
Psalm 27:4: One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
C. We need the LORD to give us a steadfast heart of perseverance
so we choose to praise Him in our suffering
not just before & after–Psalm 108 especially verse 1
D. Easy to read Psalm 105 & focus
not on the LORD & what He’s done
but instead only on what He can/will do for me.
We often worship self while praising God.
E. Seeing God as “The Most Amazing Vending Machine!”
isnt worship but self-idolatry.
- Would you still praise Him
if He didn’t deliver you from your current trial? - Would you still praise Him
if your prayer request
“got stuck” coming out of the machine?
.
Hating Sin
A. Not scorning sin is the first step to celebrating it;
Sin’s aroma is pungent or pleasing (but never passive)…
Hate it or it will have you. 1 Corinthians 6:4; Romans 12:9
B. Not thinking about the LORD’s miracles &
not remembering His kindness
leads us to rebel against Him–Psalm 106:7.
Straying minds lead to straying feet.
C. So much meat/gold in Psalm 106:13-14!
“But [the Israelites] soon forgot what [the LORD] had done &
did not wait for His plan to unfold.
In the desert [the Israelites] gave in to their craving;
in the wilderness they put God to the test.”
.
Be Born Before You Walk/Crawl/Run
Dear non-Christian: receive Christ Jesus as your Savior
before you follow Him as your King.
Be ransomed from spiritual captivity
before you are released for spiritual activity…
.
Change My Heart!
We need the LORD’s help to help us care:
“Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus
the same concern I have for you”–2 Corinthians 8:16.
.
The Church’s Purpose/Mission
The LORD has entrusted the Gospel to His people:
may He bless us to be
true not trendy,
faithful not famous,
accurate not acclaimed–1 Corinthians 4:1-2.
.
God’s Word
Feeling at peace with a decision we made
doesnt necessarily mean we’ve done
what’s right/honoring to the LORD–1 Corinthians 4:4.
May His Word be our guide.
.
Pride In The Master Not His Messengers
Taking pride in following particular Christian teachers
leads us to be puffed up–1 Corinthians 4:6.
Lord Jesus help us focus on You as You work thru others!
.
Praise Him In The Storm
As rain falls down on us temporarily
may our praise rise up to the LORD constantly!
Dont forget all His benefits–He reigns forever! Psalm 103:1-14
