Yearly Archives: 2015

Our whole life

21 Saturday Nov 2015

Posted by in 1 John, 2 Corinthians, Exodus, Galatians, John, Matthew, Philippians, Romans

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Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
Romans 6:13 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.6.13.NLT

What have we held back in our lives from God? What part of our lives have we kept of limits from the touch of God? Have we, allowed Him into some areas,  while leaving Him out of others?  Are we picking Him up at times,  but also leaving Him on the shelf sometimes? Do we tell God that we’ll spend time with Him later while we go about our day content with our own choices and decisions and will being fulfilled?

We are blessed with an amazing opportunity to commune with God. He will come and abide with us –

“If you love me, you will  keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,  even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.  
“I will not leave you as orphans;  I will come to you.  Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
John 14:15-18, 23-24 ESV
http://bible.com/59/jhn.14.15-24.ESV

How often do we trade this great blessing and become satisfied with being separated from God? Giving up our opportunity to abide with the, Lord and instead settling with hearing about Him through someone else –

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”
Exodus 20:18-19 ESV
http://bible.com/59/exo.20.18-19.ESV

Don’t let your fear of God or your interest in the temporary things of this world distract you from the blessing of His presence, of His annointing, of His constant guidance and participation in your life. He knows the best path and purpose for your life today. Are you keeping in contact with Him? Are you walking in the Spirit, meditating upon His Word as the divine instruction for your thoughts,  your actions,  and your words?

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matthew 16:24-26 ESV
http://bible.com/59/mat.16.24-26.ESV

We let ourselves get into a hurry,  and unfortunately we forget God. It humbles me when I understand that I’ve let that happen. But He is my advocate and He offers me forgiveness even in those slip ups.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
1 John 2:1-6 ESV
http://bible.com/59/1jn.2.1-6.ESV

I am not perfect yet,  but I’m also not going to be content remaining the same, without growth and change and spiritual maturity taking place in my life. I don’t want my Jesus to be just words or empty religious rituals a few times a week –  I want to live and walk and talk with Him constantly. I want Him to touch every part of my life.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.  Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Philippians 3:12-21 ESV
http://bible.com/59/php.3.12-21.ESV

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:11, 14-15, 17-21 ESV
http://bible.com/59/2co.5.11-21.ESV

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.  By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
1 John 4:7-13 ESV
http://bible.com/59/1jn.4.7-13.ESV

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
1 John 4:18-21 ESV
http://bible.com/59/1jn.4.18-21.ESV

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:13-26 ESV
http://bible.com/59/gal.5.13-26.ESV

Walking dead?

20 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by in 1 Peter, Acts of the Apostles, John, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Romans

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And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.
Romans 6:8-9 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.6.8-9.NLT

Have you died with Christ?

Our baptism in water signifies this very event that is spiritual and eternal and invisible to others. It is an outward testimony that is physical and temporary and visible to others. The water baptism is important as an act of obedience. 

Acts 2:38 ESV
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 22:16 ESV
And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

John 3:5 ESV
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

1 Peter 3:21 ESV
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Mark 16:16 ESV
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

So again,  I ask,  have you died with Christ?

Are you ready to live with Him?

Our lives and how we live each day,  even with each breath, are preparing us for our final destination. We are choosing to either do life with Christ,  learning to draw closer and closer to Him – learning and growing in our faith and our new areas of surrender and obedience and love in our lives – or we are practicing being without Him,  practicing being separated from God’s will and purpose for our lives, practicing for that final and eternal separation that some will know at judgement.

So I ask you again, are you ready to live with Him?

And if we are ready, and if we are already learning to live with Him,  if we are becoming more aware of His presence in our lives, day by day,  lesson by lesson,  prayer by prayer – aren’t we given an assurance by His faithfulness,  by the amazing way in which He orders our steps and brings us into such amazing places of inner peace – even amidst the fiery trials of this world. You see,  He is the solid foundation that we can stand on,  and watch those same winds and waves that used to control us and send us scattering this way or that – we can now watch those spiritual forces at play in the world around us and we can discern the ways of the enemy.

You see,  death has no power over Him,  and now that He is in us,  it has no power over us either.

Luke 10:19 ESV
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

He is our rock. He has given you a new name. He has blessed us. And this truth was not revealed by men of flesh and blood, but was revealed to you by God Himself. Know wroth confidence and assurance that if you are His vessel set aside for His special purpose that the gates of hell shall not prevail against you. Also remembering and testing yourself to prove yourselves not bound for destruction.

Matthew 16:15-19 ESV
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

John 20:19-23 ESV
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

John 6:67-71 ESV
So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.

But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.”  In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”
Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.”  So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.
Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?” No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?”
When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.
Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, “Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.” And, “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”
Romans 9:11-26 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.9.11-26.NLT

Jesus also told them other parables. He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son.  When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’  But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business.  Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town.  And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor.  Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’  So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply.  Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22:1-14 NLT
http://bible.com/116/mat.22.1-14.NLT

Friend or Foe?

19 Thursday Nov 2015

Posted by in Romans

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And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.
Romans 5:9-10 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.5.9-10.NLT

Friend or Foe?

We use to play soldier games when I was younger. I grew up in the days of the original G.I. Joe and transformers cartoons where it was about a group with integrity and honor doing battle against a group with evil intentions.

One of the things we would do when playing was stand watch and ask “Friend or Foe” if anyone approached our guard post. Now, you didn’t ask this expecting an enemy to actually respond with the word “Foe”, because the enemy is a liar if you are the good guy. The enemy believes that it is okay to lie,  cheat,  steal,  and kill as long as it furthers his agenda. ( Reminds me of the written tenets of our enemies even today. )

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Work Hard

18 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by in Uncategorized

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At times,  I struggle finding the right balance of:

1) personal time with God & self examination
(My eternity – I am no help to anyone if I am blind myself)
(Love God, Obedience, First Fruits)

2) providing for my family’s spiritual needs
(Our eternity – they are a part of me and assigned to me unless cast off)
(Obedience, Follow His example – Treat my wife like Christ treated the a church, as first fruits unto Him, special and set aside)

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Groanings

18 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by in 2 Corinthians, Romans

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And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
Romans 8:26-27 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.8.26-27.NLT

I once asked myself,  how can I pray to God if I don’t yet know who He is? I asked, How can I make sure that I’m not praying to some construct of my own mind, or some false substitution, or some idea or image of God that the world has given me that isn’t quite “the one true God”.

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Does He get a piece, a sliver, or an empty plate?

17 Tuesday Nov 2015

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I wonder what percentage of most church goers’ budgets go to tithing, helping the needy, supporting orphans and widows. I wonder what percentage of our time is dedicated to loving God and loving others,  remembering Christ, surrendering our will to be a living sacrifice to honor the Lord?

I wonder what percentage of most organized religions budgets actually go to help the needy,  the addicted, the widows and the orphans who have no money to offer in return for the services provided? Compared to how much money is spent to provide services and benefits and comfort to those who will bring in more money. How much is spent advertising the name of Jesus and the gospel,  versus how much is spent selling a brand and name of their own. 

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From an ex-Muslim:

17 Tuesday Nov 2015

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From an ex-Muslim:

“TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.

Some times people asks me why I left Islam? Here is answer for them; I am NOT Muslim anymore. I was BUT not now.
* When I learnt the true Moham-mad and his evil deeds like to get married with Aysha who was only six years old and had sex with her when she was only nine! Its made me sick. Its crime. Therefore I call him a real pedeophile.How come a prophet can do this evil act!?

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No excuses, faith. Oh, yeah, and don’t forget about the law.

17 Tuesday Nov 2015

Posted by in Luke, Romans

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Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin.
People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. 
Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
Romans 3:19-28, 30-31 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.3.19-31.NLT

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Excuses?

16 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by in Isaiah, Proverbs, Romans

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For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.
Romans 1:20-22 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.1.20-22.NLT

How many will claim with their mouths that they know God? How many of these same people will not worship Him or give thanks to Him? And I’m not just talking about showing up to a church service once a week or saying a memorized set of words before eating  a meal – those actions can be empty and devoid of any true worship or praise. I’m talking about worship and praise – recognizing and demonstrating to God with a heartfelt reaction that we love Him and that He alone is worthy of our attention, our drive, our focus.

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Where can safety be found?

15 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by in Jude

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But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,  and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
Jude 1:20-21 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jud.1.20-21.NLT

Some of us are friends – not even because we know each other,  but because we know Christ. Once we know that our enemies are not flesh and blood, the world begins to be filled with the opportunity of friends – because even those imperfect people doing things we might not agree with, or even those that we find opposing us are just in need of the same rescue,  the same grace,  the same deliverance that we ourselves accept daily.

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