What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately LXXVI (76)
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)
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Motive Matters
The first & main reason to sacrificially serve other Christians
is to “honor the Lord [Jesus] himself” 2 Corinthians 8:19.
It’s all about Him!
“What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us
as we carry the offering,
which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself
and to show our eagerness to help.”
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Mascot Or Master?
Which Jesus do you believe in?
The stuffed animal jesus or the Lion of Judah?
The One to Whom we surrender our self
or the one we place on a shelf?
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Wisdom
When the Holy Spirit helps us understand a Bible passage more clearly
it’s like the moment your clogged ears suddenly “pop”
& you hear clearly again.
Colossians 1:9; Luke 24:27,31-32
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Christ-Righteousness, not self-righteousness
We pursue holiness/obedience
not to GET the promises of God in Christ
but because we have them now thru faith in the Lord Jesus!
2 Corinthians 7:1: “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends,
let us purify ourselves from everything
that contaminates body and spirit,
perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
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Sin
A. Our specific sins are not tattoos to be celebrated & shown off
or concealed & played down
but stains to be repented of & cleansed from…
1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
James 4:8-10: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Grieve, mourn and wail.
Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
B. Positive thinking says, “Make lemonade out of lemons–sin isn’t so bad!”
Yet sin isnt citric acid but hydrochloric–
consuming all who consume it.
We can’t positively think our way thru our sin;
we need the crucified & risen Savior:
Only the Lord Jesus & His Truth can free us.
C. Positive thinking says, “Imagine you are on a tropical vacation
not lost on a desert island.”
Yet you are still stranded.
Only the Lord Jesus & His Truth can free us…
Matthew 10:28: “…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
D. Oh we need wisdom & strength from God
to say “no!” to activities that contaminate our souls &
“yes!” to knowing Him thru His Word!
2 Corinthians 7:1: “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends,
let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit,
perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
E. Broken jar on a store floor;
we often think: “Not my job not my prob.”
God doesnt do that to our sin:
He makes it His job/prob because He loves us.
F. Like a big line of delayed-interest credit,
sin gives a temporary sense of security
that the bill will never come.
But it will…
Proverbs 14:6: “The wise fear the Lord and shun evil,
but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.”
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God’s Mercy
Acts 5:1-11: It isn’t astounding that God would respond once like that
to Ananias & Sapphira’s sin,
it’s amazing He doesn’t do so everytime to us.
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The Human Condition
A. Apart from spiritual new birth from the Holy Spirit
thru repentance & faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
we humans are roosters & hens:
considered birds, having wings, unable to fly.
We’re amazed to get an inch off the ground for two seconds &
we consider that soaring–it isn’t.
We’re chickens needing Christ to transform us into eagles…
B. Few believe we humans are spiritually dead–
we consider ourselves nice people doing good deeds.
But apart from faith in Christ Jesus
we are Buzz Lightyear–not flying, just falling with style…
C. A Bible tweet on humanity’s spiritual state–
“A person’s own folly leads to their ruin,
yet their heart rages against the LORD”—Proverbs 19:3.
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Parenting
Parents–if we dont fear the LORD,
where’s the fountain of life in our families?
Our kids will find polluted wells
to try to quench their thirst for God…
Proverbs 14:27: “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
turning a person from the snares of death.”
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Focus
If we’re noticing details in the worship service that presently irritate us,
maybe we aren’t noticing the LORD Who is presently among us.
Habakkuk 2:20: “The Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him.”
