WEARYING GOD

 

WEARYING GOD

Mal. 2:17 You have wearied the LORD with your words. ‘Wearied him?” you ask. “How have we wearied him?” You have wearied him by suggesting that the LORD favors evildoers since he does not punish them. You have wearied him by asking, “Where is the God of justice?” NLT

I wonder how may we weary the Lord and how often do we do it? It seems to me like we miss the boat when it comes to what we pray for. We are prone to pray in an unbiblical manner. We ask for things that we know are not good for us. We ask the Lord to bless our willful desires instead of what He desires for us. We insist that the Lord respond to our prayers our way, instead of as He knows best. We pray repeatedly for the Lord to change His mind over that which He has clearly made known to us. We ask the Lord to act according to our time table instead of His. In other words, the Lord is often treated as if He were not our Lord but our genie in a bottle who must grant us our wishes at our beckon and call.

When we pray outside of the will of God for us, we weary the Lord in our praying. He will never give us what we pray for when it is not for our good and His glory. If we pray according to His will,, we will have what we pray for. And the only way we can know that we are praying in His will is for us to live close enough to Him that our wills will be one with His.

We weary the Lord when we fail to let Him judge by His standards, in His own way, and in His own time. The Lord knows what He is doing and will make things right when the time is right. We don’t always see things as the Lord does and must succumb to His sovereign will and not our own. We must learn to trust Him and not doubt Him when it seems like evil prevails.

We weary God when we don’t yield to Him before we act. We weary Him when we fill our minds with unholy things. We weary Him when we treat others with less than loving ways. We weary Him when we misrepresent Him and the Word before others. Let us be strive to be aware of how we live, speak, and think. Let us strive always to please Him in all things at all times.

GOD AND DIVORCE

 

GOD AND DIVORCE

Malachi 2:15,16 Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard yourself; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. “For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “It is as cruel as putting on a victim’s bloodstained coat,” says the LORD Almighty. “So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife.” NLT

I do not claim to have perfect understanding on the issue of divorce. I know what God says about it; He hates it. Jesus declared that divorce exists because of the hardness of the soul towards God. He gave very limited permissible causes for divorce. The Apostle Paul also makes it clear that divorce is not God’s desired outcome for marriage. Knowing how strong God speaks out against it ought to cause us to take note and consider our stand on it.

I understand that there are situations in which divorce is the only solution to a marriage that has gone horribly bad. Sometimes it is essential for the safety of a victimized spouse. Sometimes one is left with absolutely no other option. What concerns me is all the other reasons why people divorce one another. It is so prevalent in the church today that you would be hard pressed to find a church fellowship where it has not happened.

Divorce should only happen when it is obvious there are absolutely no other options for a couple. It should never be seen as a way out of a marriage that one does not want to work on anymore. Just to give up on a spouse because you have drifted apart from a lack of working together to make the marriage work, is not a justifiable reason to divorce one’s spouse. Most issues in marriage can be worked out if a couple sincerely tries to work them out. For most couples today, divorce is nothing more than a testimony to their failure to even try to make their marriage work.

Divorce in the church is not a good thing. We ought to cringe and be ashamed by how readily we give up on our marriages. Instead, we accept it as normal and often condone it. We do not think much about not installing divorced people in positions of leadership in the church. It scarcely has a stigma anymore. But, if God hates it, shouldn’t we take it a lot more seriously than we do? How can we be a godly example to others when we fall flat on our faces so miserably in this area? It is time we take seriously the vows we make to each other in the presence of God and man and try much harder to make our marriages work, either that or change our vows. It is a very serious matter to make a vow before God and not keep it.

BY GOD'S SPIRIT

 

BY GOD’S SPIRIT

Zech. 4:6 Then he said to me, “This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty.” NLT

It would do well for us to remember this truth. It is only in and through Christ that we are able to do what we do in life for Him. So often we plow ahead with little thought to whether or not the Lord is ahead of the plow driving it. We act as if it is us who is doing the good. We act as if the Lord needs us more than we need Him. Foolishly, we get the idea that we are an indispensable part of the work of Christ on earth. The reality is the kingdom of God will be built with or without us. The will of God being fulfilled through us is more for our benefit than His. We need to contribute to the work of Christ on earth in order for us to become whom God created us to be. If we fail to be who we are created to be, we miss out on the abundant life God has for us to enjoy. We are the losers, not God.

We can do nothing apart from God working in us. We owe Him the very essence of who we are. We have nothing to offer to Him except our hearts. Let us never forget this important truth. It has never been, is not now, nor ever will be, about us. It is by the Spirit of God that we become servants of God. It is by the Spirit of God that we can do anything for God.

It is only in and through Christ that we are able to be in life who God created us to be. We cannot quit sinning on our own. We cannot see the truth of the Gospel on our own. We cannot know the guilt and shame of sin on our own. We can only be who God created us to be by the working of the Spirit of God in us. If you, or someone you know and love, is living in sin, take the matter to the Lord. Pray fervently and consistently over their souls. Pray that the Spirit will do His work of convicting. Pray faithfully and believe that the Spirit will give what you ask Him for. People do not come underneath the convicting work of the Spirit without first someone praying. It is our prayers that move the heart of God, not our friendship or love.

RETURN TO THE LORD

 

RETURN TO THE LORD

Zech. 1:3 Therefore, say to the people, “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD Almighty.’ ” NLT

God is so gracious and good. He never turns anyone away who comes to Him in repentance. No matter who you are or what you have done, the Lord longs for your company. He wants to have fellowship with you. If you once knew the delight of God’s fellowship and have wandered away, return to Him and He will once again take you in. If you have been sucked into the world and have let your love for God die out, He loves you still and longs for you to return to Him. If you have spurned His love and sought after other things, He still loves you and longs for your return. The Lord’s love is eternal and unconditional. No matter what you may do, you cannot prevent God from loving you and longing for fellowship with you.

If you have never known the delight of living in fellowship with the Lord, now is the moment God has given you to come to Him. It may be the only chance you have left in your life. Don’t waste it. God loves you and longs to have fellowship with you. He invites you to come into His arms of love. Seek Him out right now while you can find Him. Confess your sins before Him and ask for His forgiveness. If you don’t know how, at all cost find someone today who can help you. The Lord is gracious and good. All who return to Him will find Him.

However, a word of caution is in order. Just because God loves you unconditionally, do not think that He will take you in regardless whether you turn to Him or not. He has provided only one way for us to be taken into the fold of His love and that is through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son. If we could bypass Jesus, Jesus would have died for nothing. Life in God is reserved for those who come to Him through Jesus. And, those who turn to Jesus must do so with no strings attached. Give Him all your sins, all your heart, all your life, and you will be saved.

BE COURAGEOUS AND WORK

 

BE COURAGEOUS AND WORK

Haggai 2:4 “But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD…….Take courage and work, for I am with you, says the LORD Almighty. NLT

The temple had fallen into rubble. Invading armies had broken down the walls of Jerusalem and set fire to the temple and the king’s palace. Things were a total mess, and the task of rebuilding was a daunting one at the least.

Zerubbabel had been commissioned to oversee the project. From the looks of things, it seemed almost impossible. Yet, God had raised him up to do the work. God patted him on the back, reassured him of His presence, and encouraged him to get busy and do the work.

There are times in which we are given tasks to do that seems virtually impossible for us to do. We look at the size of the task and don’t want to even start it. We lose confidence that we are up to the task. Yet, when God moves us to do something it’s because He knows we are able to do it and will do it if we let Him be with us to help us.

The issue is not are we able. We are able to do anything God gives us to do. The issue is whether or not we will let God be the overseer of our project and be our helper to do it. We can do all things through Christ if we simply are submissive to Him.

Take courage, get to work, you can do it with Christ’s help.

CONSIDER YOUR WAYS

 

CONSIDER YOUR WAYS

Haggai 1:5 This is what the LORD Almighty says, “Consider how things are going for you!” NLT

Haggai prophesied during the time in which Israel was rebuilding the Temple during the Babylonian rule. It was a time of poverty and national oppression. The people had forsaken the Lord and His patience ran out on them and He let them fall into the Babylonians’ hands.

Haggai challenged the Israelites to consider how things were going for them as a result of their ignoring God. It is a question that we would do well to consider as well.

How are things going for you? Are you on the top of your world, or are you underneath its pressures and stresses? Do you have peace regardless of your circumstances, or are you trying to find some semblance of peace for your soul? Are you content or are you chasing after the world’s empty promises?

How are things going for you? You will only find peace and contentment in Christ. He alone can make your life worth living for. He alone can give you the ability to say that things are well with your soul no matter what your circumstances are.

Let the Lord have His way with you, and you will be able to answer today’s question with a resounding, “It is well; it is well with my soul.”

WHAT INTERESTS YOU?

 

WHAT INTERESTS YOU?

Haggai 1:3-4 So the LORD sent this message through the prophet Haggai: “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?” NL

God had sent some of the Israelites out of their captivity back home to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the Temple. Things were a mess and it was their job to clean it up. Yet, the people were not all that into doing the work. They settled into their homes and evidently amassed a lot of personal wealth. They had very little concern for restoring the Temple so that people could come and worship God there.

Haggai was sent by God to the people to chastise them for their indifference to the house of God. He brought them up short for being more interested in the riches of earth than the things of God.

I believe that we, too, need to consider Haggai’s question. Are we more interested in our personal gain than we are the things of God? Do we focus more on life on earth than eternal life? How much interest do we show in the things of God? Do we love the Lord more than we do our earthly interests?

We invest our lives in those things that really matter to us. Heaven and earth will pass away, but our souls will live on eternally. What you invest your life in now determines where you will live eternally—heaven or hell. When this life is over, all that is going to matter to you is your eternal home. Are you investing your life in preparing for that day in which you will stand before God and be judged for what you have done with Christ?

GATHER TOGETHER AND PRAY

 

GATHER TOGETHER AND PRAY

Zephaniah 2:1-3 Gather together and pray, you shameless nation. Gather while there is still time, before judgment begins and your opportunity is blown away like chaff. Act now before the fierce fury of the LORD falls and the terrible day of the LORD’s anger begins. Beg the LORD to save you—all you who are humble, all you who uphold justice. Walk humbly and do what is right. Perhaps even yet the LORD will protect you from his anger on that day of destruction. NLT

Nothing of any significance is going to happen in the world unless God’s people gather together and pray. The failure of the church to come together and pray has caused most of the world’s problems. We have failed to seek the Lord’s favor. We have failed to see the need to pray. We have failed to see the need to come together and stay together for the sake of the souls of the world. Instead of attacking Satan on a united front, we have separated ourselves from one another and allowed ourselves to be divided over matters that should never divide us. We, the church, have just as much shame as the world does.

But, it’s not too late. There is still time to unite and pray. God has not come yet to judge the world and until He does, there is time for the church to have a profound impact on the world. We will never make much of a difference in the world until we unite ourselves at the foot of the cross. We must repent of our willingness to let petty things divide us. We must repent of our self-centered agendas. We must repent of the sins we have allowed in our hearts and churches. We must repent of how we have allowed ourselves to be led away from the absolute authority of the Scriptures.

We must get on our knees together and beg the Lord to save us from ourselves before we can beg Him to save the world. We must humble ourselves before Him and acknowledge that He is our Lord, the head of the church and not us. We must unite ourselves in Christ and set a godly example for the world to follow. We must walk humbly before the Lord in the world and do what is right before Him. We must, by our example, give the world a reason to want to come to Jesus.

It is not too late, but our days of opportunity are swiftly fading away. The Lord is coming soon to take the true church out of the world. Today is the day of salvation whereby many can still be saved. The question is, “Will we do it? Will we be part of God’s solution for the sins of the world, or will we be part of its problem?”

GOD IS SIN INTOLERANT

 GOD 

GOD IS SIN INTOLERANT

Habakkuk 1:13 You are perfectly just in this. But will you, who cannot allow sin in any form, stand idly by while they swallow us up? Should you be silent while the wicked destroy people who are more righteous than they? NLT

The Babylonians were sent to punish the Israelites for their sins. God had had enough. His people had worn out His patience. They went through the motions of allegiance to God, but their hearts were far from Him. They claimed to be His but did not live like it. They expected the Lord’s favor upon them but did not humble themselves before Him or obey Him.

God cannot allow sin in any form. We must understand this profound and all important truth. There is no sin in the presence of God. Ever. Sin must be dealt with before one approaches God or he will be denied access to God. God is holy and hates all sin. In order to approach God, we must be made righteous in Christ. As much as we may not like it, we must confess our sins before Christ and seek His forgiveness. There is no other way to draw near to God.

We don’t stress this truth much anymore, but I believe it is a critical truth. We must preach and teach it until we believe it. God is sin intolerant. He will not overlook sin in any form. He will not let sin anywhere near Him. No one will make it to heaven with a sin problem hanging over their soul. Repentance is for Christians too! In fact, I believe that it is even more important for the believer than the non-believer because we are held accountable for what we know. The sinner’s prayer for forgiveness is just the beginning of a lifetime of forgiveness. We all sin and come short of the glory of God.

I believe it is dangerous for us to assume that once we are saved we are no longer in need of repentance. How can sin go away without it? Does the righteousness of Christ guarantee our acceptance by God regardless of our sins? All I know is that the Word calls us into a confession of our sins. God commands holiness in the heart of His children and dealing with sin through Christ is the only way it is going to happen. He IS our righteousness and holiness before God.

A MESSAGE FROM GOD

 

A MESSAGE FROM GOD

Habakkuk 1:1 This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received from the LORD in a vision. NLT

As I read this verse I got to wondering about how many of have actually received a message from the Lord. Before you dismiss the idea, think about it. Does God speak only to a select few, or does He give a message to all of us? Details may vary, but I believe that God speaks regularly to every one of His children. God has a lot to say to us about ourselves and our living. We may or may not hear from God in a vision, but if we are tuned in, we will all hear from Him.

How God speaks to us is not important. What is important is that we hear what we need to hear from Him and then act upon it. God speaks to us for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we need better understanding, conviction about sin we have allowed into our hearts, a change of direction in our lives, a task to do, someone to come alongside of to help, etc. Regardless of the reason, the Lord has an ever-changing message for us to hear. He has not disengaged himself from your life. He wants you to hear what He has to say.

In order to hear what God wants to say to you, you must be where you can hear Him. You must be in His Word, in your prayer closet, or in a quiet place apart from the distractions of life around you. You must be able to fix your thoughts on Him alone and wait before Him with an open heart. If you do, you will hear.

“Speak to my heart, even now, Lord Jesus. I need to hear what You have to say to me. I need to know what I must do in order for me to be where You want me to be, where I need to be. Lord, speak to me right now while I am waiting, yielded and still.”

THE LORD OUR REFUGE

 

THE LORD OUR REFUGE

Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good. When trouble comes, he is a strong refuge. And he knows everyone who trusts in him. NLT

We need to know this; we MUST know this. God is a strong refuge when trouble comes. There is no trouble that we may experience that is greater than God’s ability to handle. Most of us know what it is to have troublesome times. Sometimes we are the root cause of it and many times we aren’t. What really defines our character is how we handle trouble.

We can look at our troubles and cry and moan about them. Many people are good whiners when trouble comes. They bemoan the fact that things are not going as they think they should. They complain instead of striving to make positive changes to get themselves out of their troubles.

Some of us face trouble with no clue as to how to help ourselves get out of it. The size of the trouble overwhelms us and controls how we think and feel. Instead of focusing on how great our God is, they think how great their trouble is. They forget God’s promises of help and deliverance. God takes a backseat to their troubles.

One of the things that often happens during troublesome times is to neglect one’s time alone with the Lord. This is the worst thing that we can do. Our help comes from the Lord! When we neglect the Word of God and prayer, God no longer is in the forefront of our hearts and minds. We must stay connected with the Lord if we are going to find help in Him.

The right response to trouble is to take refuge in the Lord. It is trusting in God’s care and His ability to help us out of trouble. It is not wavering in our confidence that God will help us. It looks positively at the help that is ours in Christ. It is believing that all things do work out for those who love the Lord. It is seeing life with eternity in view instead of the momentary troubles of life.

The Lord is the only strong and safe refuge for the troubled soul. He will always help those who seek refuge in Him. He knows His children by name. He knows our weaknesses. He knows our struggles. He knows our needs. As the old hymn writer put it, “Jesus is our rock in a weary land…a shelter in the time of storm.”

Whether you are in a stormy place in your life right now or not, Jesus is our strong refuge. Take shelter under His loving wings.

GOD IS JEALOU

 

GOD IS JEALOUS

Nahum 1:2-3 This message concerning Nineveh came as a vision to Nahum, who lived in Elkosh. The LORD is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and wrath. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and furiously destroys his enemies! The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished...… NLT

The Lord is a jealous God. For the most part, we don’t act like He is. We don’t give the Lord all of the attention He deserves in our lives. We give Him a place in our lives, but not THE place. We put more emphasis on other things than we do our relationship with Him. We need to remember; the Lord is a jealous God.

The Lord is filled with vengeance and wrath. He is holy and will not tolerate sin in His presence. He judges all sin and shows no mercy to those who reject and defy Him.

The Lord is slow to get angry, and I am so glad He is. He is very patient, but it does run out. He will judge all those who push Him away and live in sin. He created hell especially for them, and it is perfectly suited to punish them for all eternity.

The power of the Lord is great. There is no limit to His power. He has the power to help all who want to stay out of hell stay out of it. He has the power to forgive sins and remember them no more. He has the power to make all things right, and He will.

The Lord will never let the guilty go unpunished. No one will get away with sin. No one. Everyone will stand before God and give an account for his life. The Lord will look on the soul, and if He sees sin instead of the righteousness of Christ, He will cast the soul into hell.

Pay attention to Nahum’s message today; eternity is at stake.

GOD'S WAY TO HEAVEN

 

GOD’S WAY TO HEAVEN

Micah 6:6-8 What can we bring to the LORD to make up for what we’ve done? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and tens of thousands of rivers of olive oil? Would that please the LORD? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for the sins of our souls? Would that make him glad? No. O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. NLT

We try many different things to try and please God. Why? Where did we get the idea that we can do it better than God’s way? We somehow have bought into the notion that God doesn’t care what we do as long as we do it sincerely. We have become convinced that God’s love for us trumps His justice.

The way to God’s heart is unwavering. We must always strive to do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

Rightness is measured by God’s standards and not ours. He has shown us the way to live and we must follow it. It is living a life influenced and controlled by Christ. It is by faith and not works that we are made righteous before God.

To love mercy is to deeply appreciate God’s goodness to us when He withholds from us the justice we deserve for our sins. It is our treating others with respect and not always clamoring to get even when we have been wronged.

To walk humbly with God is to live knowing that we are not our own. We understand that we are utterly dependent on God for every detail of our eternal life. We understand that we are nothing apart from Him. It is engaging the Lord in how we daily live by depending on Him and seeking to bring Him glory and honor in all we do. It is knowing that apart from Him we can do nothing to please God

GOD'S REQUIREMENTS

 

GOD’S REQUIREMENTS

Micah 6:8 No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. NLT

The requirements of the Lord are obvious to anyone who wants to honestly know them. He makes it clear that we are to do what is right before Him. What is right in God’s eyes often is different than what we think is right. God’s Word is the standard by which we evaluate our actions. Are we living rightly before God? The ways of man should never determine how we are doing in our living.

We need to love mercy. That is, we should love to withhold retribution from those who deserve punishment. Now, I am not saying that we should not mete out punishment to those who sin against the common good of society. People need to be held accountable for things done that are harmful and dangerous for the public. I am not suggesting that we should put our heads in the sand and ignore it when people do wrong. But, as children of God, it ought to be a way of life for us to show mercy towards those who wrong us, especially when they repent and ask for forgiveness. We are to love our neighbor and be driven by a forgiving heart rather than a vengeful heart.

We must walk humbly with God. There is no room for pride in our walk with the Lord. We understand that He alone is to be praised. We know that who we are, what we are and whatever we accomplish in life are because of God’s grace and blessings. We don’t live for ourselves. We live always to honor Him who has saved us and blessed us.

It is good for us to acknowledge the role the Lord plays in our lives. It is good to know that we owe Him all the praise for the life we live. It is good for us to understand that the very essence of life is in Him and Him alone.

WHAT IS GOOD

 

WHAT IS GOOD

Micah 6:8 No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. NLT

The Lord is not mysterious about how to live a life pleasing to Him. He makes it very clear that the righteous shun evil and live right before Him. He vividly details what living right before Him means in practical living. Being good before God entails doing what is right, loving mercy, and walking humbly before God.

Doing what is right is simply living a godly life. It is simply taking the Word of God and striving to live it. It is turning one’s back on what is evil and taking on the righteousness of Christ. Godly living is soul building. It is all that helps us be like God in character. Doing what is right is what pleases God.

Loving mercy is treating people better than they deserve to be treated. It is letting God take care of the judgment of their souls. It is striving to focus on the good in people instead of the bad. It is giving people opportunity to change their ways when they mess up. It is turning the other cheek when they wrong us instead of seeking vengeance.

Walking humbly before God means that we acknowledge that God is sovereign over us. It is giving the Lord the credit due Him for all He does in and through us. It is not exalting ourselves. It is always seeking to honor and glorify God. It is understanding that we owe the Lord our very lives, now and forever.

It is good for us to do what God requires of us. It is the only assurance that we have we will make it to heaven. Doing these things without a relationship with Christ will make us good in the eyes of man, but it will not make us qualified for heaven. Jesus alone is the way, truth, and life. It is only a living relationship with Christ that will make us good before God.

Are you doing what God requires of you?

HEAR YE! HEAR YE!

 

HEAR YE! HEAR YE!

Micah 2:6 “Don’t say such things,” the people say. “Don’t prophecy like that. Such disasters will never come our way!” NLT

Like many before Him, Micah was warning people of their impending doom because of their sin. He was trying to convince them that they needed to return to God before they felt the wrath of God. God declared that judgment was coming, but the people were not listening. They were not willing to admit that they were needing to be held accountable for their rebellion against God. They were in denial and wanted Micah to stop his preaching.

Things are much the same today as they were in Micah’s day. God has raised up many voices to declare that judgment is coming. The warnings are loud and clear, “Repent! The day of our salvation is now!” God is love and He is merciful, but He is also holy and He will not let sin run rampant indefinitely. No one is going to escape their Judgment Day. No one is going to get away with rejecting God and living in sin.

There are many voices, inside and outside the church, who are trying to silence God’s modern day prophets. People don’t want to hear messages of judgment and accountability. They don’t want to hear of a God who will not embrace them in love just the way they are. So many are proclaiming the message of God’s love and ignoring His message of holiness.

The reality is that God has not changed. He is holy love. He loves us and desires that all will repent and have a relationship with Him. But, God cannot have a relationship with an unholy people. He has shown us clearly the way of life that pleases Him and when we refuse to live it, He will honor our choices but hold us accountable for them.

Certain disaster is coming to the earth. God is going to take the righteous out of the world so that they don’t have to live through the mess that is coming. God is going to rid the world of sin once and for all. All who reject Him will end up in hell for all of eternity. Saying it isn’t so won’t change a thing. God has declared it’s going to happen regardless of how we may feel about it.

“HEAR YE! HEAR YE!” God is going to call people into account. All sin will be accounted for. Those who die in their sins will go to hell for it. All who die in the righteousness of Christ will go to heaven. It’s that simple. Judgment Day is coming.

Are you ready for your Judgment Day?

RUNNING FROM GOD

 

RUNNING FROM GOD

Jonah 1:3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshis. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping that by going away to the west he could escape from the LORD. NLT

I am intrigued by Jonah’s fleeing from the Lord. He did not want to go where God wanted him to go. He did not want to do what God wanted him to do. He did not want to agree with God and so he decided to run away and hide where God could not find him. I suspect Jonah was not alone. It would be interesting to know how many of us would honestly admit that we too have fled from God. How many of us try to hide from God, hoping that He will not find us and leave us alone?

This is not about those who don’t know the Lord. Jonah was a prophet, a man who knew God and was called to serve Him. He ran, knowing full well what it was God wanted him to do. God doesn’t always ask us to do what we want to do. He asks us to do what He wants us to do and what He knows we can do.

Jonah did not like what God had in mind to do. He knew that God was more than likely going to show mercy and love rather than judgment on his enemies, and that didn’t set too well with Jonah. He didn’t want what God wanted. He wanted justice, not mercy.

Jonah foolishly thought he could run and get away from God. There is nowhere you can go to get away from God. The only thing you can do to avoid God is to completely reject Him as your Savior, to deny Him access to your heart. Otherwise, God will find you wherever you may try to flee. He will not let you off the hook that easy. He will do all He can do to convince you that you need to bend your will to His and obey Him.

Are you running away from God today, or are you doing His will for you?

JERUSALEM, OUR REFUGE

 

JERUSALEM, OUR REFUGE

Obadiah 17 “But Jerusalem will become a refuge for those who escape; it will be a holy place. And the people of Israel will come back to reclaim their inheritance.” NLT

Jerusalem is in the news. They are in the midst of warfare. While we don’t know how things will turn out yet, we do know that Jerusalem and all of Israel have a special place in God’s heart. The Scriptures are very clear on the special role they have played in the history of the world and will yet play.

We are promised that there is coming a New Jerusalem, a place where the faithful will dwell eternally with God. We don’t know exactly where it will be. It may be at its present location or it may be somewhere else. God is going to purge the world of its sin and create a new heaven and earth.

What we do know is that in the New Jerusalem there will be no sin. There will be no pain, sorrow, suffering, or death. There won’t be any need for the sun for the glory of Christ will be our eternal light. There will be nothing but eternal joy and peace.

The New Jerusalem will be a holy place, a place of refuge for the redeemed. We will dwell in a place that the Lord is building for us today. It will be a place unlike any other place in all creation. It will be a place where we will worship and serve the Lord with eternal joy.

In the New Jerusalem, there will be no distinction between the redeemed. We will all be one in Christ: no Jew or Gentile, no male or female, no rich or poor.

Let us live now in anticipation of that grand and glorious day. Only those who are holy in heart will be there. Will I see you there?

GOD WILL JUDGE NATIONS

 

GOD WILL JUDGE NATIONS

Obadiah 15 “The day is near when I, the LORD, will judge the godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads.” NLT

The more history unfolds, the more attention we need to pay to this warning from the Lord. Although this warning was addressed to a different people at a different time, I believe it is very relevant to our times. We read the prophetic Scriptures, and we realize that there is indeed coming a day in which all the nations of the earth will be judged according to their godlessness and how they have treated Israel. It’s not a matter of “if”, it’s a matter of when.

There is coming a day of justice for all nations. God is going to come down hard on the world. He is going to bring the world to her knees. A day is coming in which every knee will bow before Him and declare that He is Lord, the God of all creation.

We cannot change the course of history. We are moving closer and closer to that day. Sin is blatant in the public arena. The sacredness of life is quickly fading away. People are treating one another cruelly with very little respect or concern. People are chasing after the world’s offerings and the pleasures of sin. People are blatantly denying God and that sin even exists.

However, we may be able to help some. We need to faithfully and diligent share the Gospel message. We must pray faithfully and diligently for the harvest field and workers in it. We must encourage one another and spur one another to greater faithfulness and service. We must work together instead of majoring on that which divides us. There are still souls who will be saved. God is not willing that any of them perish and neither should we be.

Time is running out on the world very quickly. Let us be about the Master’s business while we can. Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow may very well be the Day of Judgment.

A FAMINE OF THE SCRIPTURES

 

A FAMINE OF THE SCRIPTURES

Amos 8:11-12 “The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. People will stagger everywhere from sea to sea, searching for the word of the LORD, running here and going there, but they will not find it.” NLT

The time is coming when there will be a famine on the land for hearing the Word of God. I believe that we are moving close to a famine right now. We live in a time where the Word of God is for the most part available to all. With the technology now in place, one can access God’s Word quickly and easily. Yet, just because it’s available doesn’t mean it’s being accessed. People are growing up with very little, if any, knowledge of the Bible. Wherever you go, you will find people ignorant regarding what the Bible says.

There are many churches today where the Bible is not used or even welcomed. As outrageous as it may seem, it is true. The Bible is considered to be archaic and unreliable. It comes under great scrutiny and is not taken seriously. Many church leaders do not have a personal knowledge of, or appreciation for, the Word of God. When the Bible is used, it is used to promote personal agendas. It is taken apart and out of context. In many church circles, the Scriptures are no longer taken literally. There is a real famine in the Church today for the Word of God as God gave it.

People are staggering around, groping for meaning and purpose in life. They may be deeply involved in church life and spiritual activities, but they are starving to death. They are not finding life worth the living for; they have lost their way and don’t know how to find their way back. As a result, anything and everything seems to go in the name of Christ.

We must diligently protect God’s Word in us and in our churches. We cannot take a lackadaisical attitude about this. We must preach and teach only the Word of God in our churches and homes. We must insist on basing our faith on the Word of God instead of our activities. We must let the Word penetrate deep within our souls and captivate our minds. We must stand unwavering on the truth that the Bible IS the authoritative Word of God. Don’t starve your soul to death like so many do. God said what He meant and means what He said; strive to always live it.

FAITH 24/7

 

FAITH 24/7

Amos 8:5 You can’t wait for the Sabbath day to be over and the religious festivals to end so you can get back to cheating the helpless. You measure out your grain in false measures and weigh it on dishonest scales.” NLT

How consistent are you in your faith walk? Far too many who go to church on Sundays don’t show it on Mondays. There is the mindset in the church that going to church is good enough to get us into heaven, that it doesn’t matter too much what we do during the week as long as we go to church on Sunday.

I would much rather see someone who seldom goes to church on Sunday and live righteously than those who go to church on Sunday but live like the devil the rest of the week. Church is important as a means of strengthening and growing our faith, but it will not get us into heaven. Only the heart that is made righteous in Christ will enter into heaven. There is no sin in heaven and when we live in sin, we disqualify ourselves from it.

Words alone don’t cut it. A true child of God will live like a child of God all the days of his life. He will live obediently and faithfully before man and God. He will strive to live a holy life, shunning sin as much as possible. A child of God does not make excuses when he does sin. He admits it when he sins and repents of it. He strives to honor God in both words and deeds.

Regardless of when and where you worship the Lord, if your life doesn’t back up your worship, your worship is in vain. Living in Christ consumes the soul and affects every area of one’s life all the time. Always seek to do what is right in God’s eyes and you won’t have any problem making it to heaven when you die.

DO GOOD; RUN FROM EVIL

 

DO GOOD; RUN FROM EVIL

Amos 5:14 Do what is good and run from evil—that you may live! The LORD God Almighty will truly be your helper, just as you have claimed he is. NLT

It’s not very hard to understand at all. If we want to live in Christ we must do good and run from evil. If we do this, then the Lord will help us do it.

We cannot do good if we aren’t good. What makes us good is the shed blood of Christ applied to our hearts. No one is good in the Biblical sense except for God and no one can be good apart from a relationship with Him. Just because we do good things doesn’t mean we are good people. It’s not too hard to be good before man while not being good before God. We often confuse the two and think that our standing with man makes us in good standing with God. It doesn’t. Only Christ can make us good before God.

If we are good before God we will run from evil. Now, we can’t avoid evil; it’s the norm for the world in which we live. But, we can choose to not participate in the evil that surrounds us. We can choose to run from tempting situations. We can choose to not be entertained by evil. We can choose to not get too close to evil and avoid it rubbing off on us. Godly people have a distaste in their mouths for evil and seek instead the things of God. They seek to let the Lord build them up instead of letting Satan tear them down.

The Lord promises to help us when we set our hearts and minds on Him. He wants to see us become a holy people, a people after His own heart. He wants to make us heaven ready. He wants to teach us His ways. He wants to help us get rid of all the baggage that hinders us. He wants to help us live in victory and not defeat. He wants to help us, but He won’t do it unless we let Him have control of our hearts and minds.

GOD'S WARNING

 

GOD’S WARNING

Amos 3:7 “But always, first of all, I warn you through my servants the prophets. I, the Sovereign LORD, have now done this.”

God does not act in judgment without first warning us. God makes it very clear why He judges us. He has over and over again made known to us the life we need to live before Him. He demands of us holy living. He clearly has told us what sin is and how we need to avoid it. He makes a clear distinction between sin and godly living. He created us with the ability to choose between good and evil and right from the beginning made it clear what was good and what was evil.

No one can claim innocence or injustice when it comes to sin. God gave us His Word to clearly show us the way to holy living. He has told us about coming judgment on the world. Although most ignore God’s warnings and warning signs, it is going to happen just as He proclaimed it would. Knowing that God does take sin seriously and judges it ought to cause us to be careful how we live. All sin will be exposed by His holiness and judged on Judgment Day.

In order to know what God says about sin and judgment, we must dig deep into God’s Word. A consistent reading of the Word exposes sin that is around us and in us. We who have the Word at our disposal will be held more accountable for our knowledge of our sin for all we have to do is to open it up and read it. A closed Bible does the soul no good. We need to read what sin is under the law and under grace. We need to read about the consequences of sin. We need to read about how God has dealt with sin in the past, how He deals with it now, and how He will deal with it in the future.

You are warned. God judges sin and will have no mercy on those who insist on living in it.

RETURN TO GOD NOW

 

RETURN TO GOD NOW

Joel 2:12-13 That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time! Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered. He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you. NLT

If you have turned away from the Lord, hear what He is saying to you today. Turn to Him while there is still time! You don’t know what is ahead of you. You may not even finish reading this today. Right now is the time to turn to Him and give Him your heart. Don’t let pride get in your way. Humble yourself before God and seek His face. Admit your sins, confess them before Him, and ask Him to forgive you right now while you can.

The Lord is gracious and merciful; He will not turn you away. He will not reject you just because you have rejected Him. He is gracious and merciful and not easily angered. He has open arms to all who would turn to Him and repent. He longs to have fellowship with you. He longs to pour out His love and blessings on you. The only one who can stop Him from doing it is you.

The Lord is full of kindness and is eager to not punish you. He takes no delight in punishing anyone for sin, but He must if they don’t repent. God is holy and will never let sin go. He patiently waits for the soul to return to Him, but there always comes a point in which His patience runs out. He knows the soul and will continue to try to woo us back to Him while we are still able to return. Don’t let sin harden your heart to the point where God can no longer penetrate it. Return to Him now while you can.

If you have not forsaken the Lord but find yourself not as close to Him as you once were, now is the time to turn back to the Lord before you drift further away. Today is the day of salvation. You may never have another chance to get back right with God. Do it now while you can. If all is well with your soul, praise the Lord for it and pray for those who need to return to Him.

TRUE REPENTENCE

 

TRUE REPENTANCE

Joel 2:12-13 That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time! Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered. He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you.” NLT

True repentance comes from the inside out and not the outside in. We can do nothing to change our heart and make it right before God. No religious exercise or deed will ever make you right with God. No strict adherence to any laws or regulations will make you right with God. God wants your heart. He wants your will, your love, your commitment to obedience and service. God wants you to sincerely want Him to change the way you think and feel about sin, yourself, and Him. He wants you to give Him the motives why you do, think, and say what you do. God wants you to let Him control what goes in and out of your heart.

When we approach God in this way, we then find true repentance. He is merciful and gracious and will not turn anyone away who sincerely seeks Him. The issue we must deal with today is, “Have I sincerely given the Lord my heart, my life? Do I know that He has changed me from the inside out, or am I still trying to change from the outside in?”

Humble yourself before God, cry out to Him with a broken heart, ask Him to forgive and change you, and you will be saved.

THE PATHS OF THE LORD

 THE PATHS OF THE LORD

Hosea 14:9  Let those who are wise understand these things.  Let those who are discerning listen carefully.  The paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them.  But sinners stumble and fall along the way.  NLT

     Wise are those who know the paths of the Lord and walk on them.  Wise are those who know the ways of the Lord are always true and right and when we follow them we will make it to heaven.  The Lord has never led one soul astray and, He never will.

      The paths of the Lord are whatever it is that leads us to God.  God makes himself known to us clearly and in a wide variety of ways.  When we follow the path that leads to God, we will find Him.  God makes himself abundantly clear in the Scriptures.  You cannot read the Scriptures without encountering God.  When we pray with sincere hearts seeking God, we find Him.  God hears the prayers of those who sincerely seek Him and answers them.  God is found in the fellowship of the church.  You may have to look hard in some churches in order to find Him, but in most churches, He is there.  God is found in the lives of those committed to Him.  Getting to know godly people helps us to find Him.  God is found in creation; all we have to do is to look honestly and humbly at creation and we can only conclude that God is.  God is found in music, books, movies and we will find Him if we are sincerely looking for Him.

      Righteous are those who are sincerely seeking God.  They want to see God.  They are observant in life and attribute to God the things that flow from God.  They pursue those things that lead them to God.  They strive to avoid those things where God cannot be found.  The passion of the righteous is being in the presence of God.  

       Righteous are those who put their faith in Christ, who alone makes us righteous.  They come to Christ with their sins, confess them, and ask Him for His forgiveness.  They then strive to live like they are forgiven.

       Sinners stumble over the paths that lead to God.  They are so blinded by sin that they have a very hard time seeing the paths that lead to God, let alone follow them.  The desire of the sinner’s heart is not for God so they don’t pursue Him.  They stumble and fall over the witness of God all around them.  Sinners who are content in their sin will not find God.  

      “Lord, help us to understand that we must always walk only on the paths that lead us to you and to not be content with the life of sin we are prone to drift into.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

PLANT, PLOW, PRODUCE

 

PLANT, PLOW, PRODUCE

Hosea 10:12 Plant the good seeds of righteousness and you will harvest a crop of my love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness on you. NLT

When you live in righteousness you will naturally be a loving person. You cannot be right with God and not inherit His love nature. No matter how well you may be able to live righteously by man’s standards, if you are not loving, you are not living righteously by God’s standards.

Hosea spoke to a people who based their righteousness on how well they were able to live by God’s law. God made it very clear what they must do in order to be right with Him. What ended up happening was that when they lived by the law they failed to love one another and legalism without love creates a hard heart. Hosea’s admonition was for them to plow up the hardness of their hearts. Obedience to God must be done for the right reason. What we do must flow from hearts of love, not duty.

If you are not motivated by love for the Lord in what you do, now is the time to do something about it. Continuing on without love makes the heart hard towards God. No matter how much good you are doing, if love is not behind it, you do it in vain. God knows your heart and whether or not your motivation in doing what is right is love and He will hold you accountable for your motivation. If you want to be sure your heart is right with God, take a bath in His love. He will shower you in His righteousness and all will be well with your soul.

Loving God overshadows everything we do. It affects not only our standing with God, it affects our relationships with others. We cannot love God without loving people. We cannot live righteously with uncaring souls.

Now is the time to examine your soul. Now is the time to seek the Lord. Now is the time to make sure that loving God is the driving force in your life. Now is the time to live righteously before God. Tomorrow may never come and if you don’t do it now, it may be too late.

DON'T DOUBT GOD'S LOVE

 

DON’T DOUBT GOD’S LOVE

Dan. 9:4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “ O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and keep your commands.” NLT

Do you really believe it? Do you believe that God always fulfills His promises of unfailing love to those who love Him and obey Him? Think about how you think about God when circumstances overwhelm you and He seems to not care. Be honest. Do you consider God loving you when things are going bad for you? Don’t you question the love of God for you when nothing seems to change for the better? After all, if God really loves, He would make sure everything went well for us, wouldn’t He?

We doubt God’s love because we can’t see the forest because of the trees. All we can see is the moment we are in, not the broader picture of our lives. We don’t see how the moment can be good for us in any way. We don’t see how God is going to use us the rest of our life journey and how our present circumstances are a part of our preparation.

We don’t see the good in the bad because we fail to remember what God says about himself. He is holy love and is incapable of acting in a non-loving way. Everything God does, or allows to happen in our lives, flows from love. He is incapable of doing anything wrong. We may not understand it at all, but it is true. In order to deal with life we must accept as absolute truth everything God says. All of God’s promises come to pass but, there is a condition if we are going to personally experience them.

We must love the Lord and obey Him. When we love the Lord we trust Him. We rest in the knowledge that what we are going through is noticed by God and is being used by Him for our good. We do not speak negatively of Him; instead we acknowledge Him, thank Him, and praise Him regardless of what we are experiencing. We continue to faithfully obey Him regardless of how we feel. God never fails us, but we do fail Him. God will see you through whatever you are going through if you love Him and obey Him.

FAITHFULLY PRAY

 

FAITHFULLY PRAY

Dan. 6:10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to God. NLT

Daniel did not let his circumstances dictate his faith. He knew that things weren’t going to be easy for him if he were to continue being bold about his faith, but that did not matter to him. He unashamedly did what he always did, he prayed openly and he didn’t care what others thought about it. His allegiance was to God, he needed time alone with God, and he made sure that he got that time.

When he prayed, Daniel often gave thanks. He understood that he was who he was because of God’s favor on him. He appreciated the life he lived and made sure that God knew of his appreciation. He was not concerned what others thought; he was determined to acknowledge God’s hand on his life, both past and present. We can learn much from Daniel’s heart.

I wonder how bold we are about acknowledging God’s hand on our lives and unashamedly giving Him thanks. So many of us do not take the time to offer the Lord our thanks for His blessings of life. I see so many professing Christians who do not pause to give thanks in public before a meal. I hear so many of us who take far more credit than we deserve for the blessings of our lives. I hear so many prayers that are geared to what we want from God rather than thanks for what we have received. A lack of gratitude for God’s blessings is a sin.

God deserves our gratitude. We don’t deserve to be children of God. We don’t deserve any of the blessings He bestows on us. It is shameful the way that we often act around those who do not share our faith. We should never hide our faith. We should not care what others may think. It is far more important what God thinks than it is man. Dare to be a Daniel. Let others see your faith at work in you and hear your words of gratitude unto the Lord.

Don’t let your circumstances dictate whether you pray or not. Instead, let the natural flow of your love for the Lord and gratitude for His role in your life lead you to pray. Don’t stifle the natural response of the soul to worship God regardless of the circumstances you are in.

UNDER SCRUTINY

 

UNDER SCRUTINY

Dan. 6:4 Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible. NLT

First of all, if you are serving the Lord faithfully, you will be watched and there will be those who will try to find fault with your walk with the Lord. It comes with the territory and is unavoidable.

Secondly, if you are faithfully serving the Lord to the best of your ability, you will be found faultless before God. Like our Lord, any criticisms or judgments rendered against you will be false. So, don’t sweat what others may say about you or to you. As long as you know you are obedient to Christ, you have nothing to worry about or fear.

The other thing I see here is the application part. God said that Daniel was faithful, honest, and always responsible. Can God say the same thing about you? What does the Lord think about you? As you look into the mirror of His Word, does He convict you of wrong doing? Does He constantly reprimand you because you are not living up to your profession of faith in Him?

Let us strive to live in such a way that He can say of us that we are faithful, honest, and always responsible followers of Him. We are not perfect and need to diligently seek to stay right with God, but if we are servants with hearts of integrity, the Lord will be well-pleased.