The Covenant of Love is about Keeping Commandments

Prologue

God's covenant of love has two parties. It's an agreement between God and his children, i.e., the saints. God loves his people, who repay him with love by keeping His COMMANDMENTS.

Certainly, love is a two-way street. And not being faithful to the covenant will be a breach.

To be sure, God is completely faithful to His covenant. Man has always been the one who often and continually breaks it.

             Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping 

             his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep 

             his commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9 

             Though the mountains be shaken
             and the hills be removed,
             yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
             nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
             says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

             I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, 

             who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his 

             commandments, Daniel 9:4

[Read also: 1 Kings 8:23; 2 Chronicles 6:14; Nehemiah 1:5; Psalm 106:45; Psalm 89:28]

Every Deed of Man will Be Brought
Into Judgement 

Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 NIV

Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.

The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.

Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.

N. B. All scripture taken from New International Version by Bible Gateway.com

True Faith is Complete Obedience to Rules

Prologue

               Love [God] and faithfulness [saints] meet together;
               righteousness [of God] and peace [of His children] kiss each other. 

               Psalm 85:10 NIV

As He Followed the Rules as Laid Out,
Naaman was Healed of Leprosy

2 Kings 5:1-7 NIV

Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 

As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” Read More...

In Contrast, the Servant Disobeys
Prophet Elisha's Instructions

2 Kings 5:15-20 NIV

Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.

“If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”

“Go in peace,” Elisha said.

After Naaman had traveled some distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” Read More..

Saints Overcome Temptation with Christ

Look Again and Think

Taken on the whole from:
My Utmost For His Highest
By RBC Ministries

Do not worry about your life . . . —Matthew 6:25

A warning which needs to be repeated is that “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,” and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.

“I say to you, do not worry about your life . . . .” Our Lord says to be careful only about one thing-our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, “That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink.” Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.

“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, “What are your plans for next month— or next summer?” Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the “much more” of your heavenly Father (Matthew 6:30).

To read the original article, Click Here.

My Great Sins are Forgiven

Prologue

               Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
               Psalm 32:1 NIV

               No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’

               because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares 

               the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 

               Jeremiah 31:34 NIV

I have seen the goodwill of God. Surely, He has seen my past sins and in spite of them He has the big heart to forgive me. To be sure, He cast them all into the bottomless sea.

God Forgives the Much Evil
That King Manasseh Did

2 Chronicles 33:1-13 NIV

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them.  He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. HE DID MUCH EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD, AROUSING HIS ANGER.

He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land I assigned to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and regulations given through Moses.” But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. AND WHEN HE PRAYED TO HIM, THE LORD WAS MOVED BY HIS ENTREATY AND LISTENED TO HIS PLEA; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. THEN MANASSEH KNEW THAT THE LORD IS GOD.

Also read "The Wonder of the Cross" by Our Daily Bread

I am Content, Courageous and Hopeful

Prologue

Can one be ever content? In fact, I am. This is my testimony. I am done working for money, or dreaming of a home for the family, which are me and wife. I am retired but with just a pittance for a pension. My wife is retired, too. But unlike me she has no pension to turn to. In the standards of today we are as poor as a church mouse.

Anyway, I am content to where the Lord has brought us. [We have been granted permanent residency status in Canada, where my daughter and family are living. We live with her and her two grade schoolers.] Better still, I don't have anxiety [wife has plenty though] over our future. In fact, I have abundant hope of a bright future.

What's the circumstance that my wife and I are in? It began eight years ago when God entered my life. Since then, God  has been our treasure - and this is the reason for that out of ordinary feeling of content, anxiety-free and a very hopeful state of mind.

God Provides for Elisha
Through a Wealthy Woman

2 Kings 4:8-10 ESV

One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”

God Provides Ample Resources
For His Children Through Others

Luke 10:1-12 ESV

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. CARRY NO MONEY BAG, NO KNAPSACK, NO SANDALS, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ AND IF A SON OF PEACE IS THERE, YOUR PEACE WILL REST UPON HIM. BUT IF NOT IT WILL RETURN TO YOU. AND REMAIN IN THE SAME HOUSE, EATING AND DRINKING WHAT THEY PROVIDE. FOR THE LABORER DESERVES HIS WAGES. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

A Type of the Redemption of Man

Prologue

               In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no 

               room for God. Psalm 10:4

               What the wicked dread will overtake them;
               what the righteous desire will be granted. Proverbs 10:29

Haman Plots to Destroy the Jews

Esther 3:5-9 NIV

When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.

In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.” Continue reading...

verses 10-15

The God of Israel Saves His People
Through the King and Queen [Esther]

Esther 7:1-7 NIV

So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”

King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”

Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate,stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life. Continue reading...verses 8-10

Epilogue

This story is the type of what God the Father is planning to save the whole of humanity [anyway, those who believe] from Satan's plot to dominate rule the world through confusion and deceit.

Read the whole book of Esther to dig for gems of truth.

In One's Behalf

Prologue

               And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,

               who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV

To be sure this is true for everyone. The story is the embodiment of God's selfless and everlasting love for the SAINTS.

God's Purpose is Being Worked out
In Good and Bad Circumstances
Of Joseph's Life

Genesis 45: 1-7 NIV

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Continue reading: verses 8-28

Related story: Bricks Without Straw

The Beginning Testimony is a Prophecy

            See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.’ Jeremiah 25:29 NIV

The Testimony Against Humanity

Deuteronomy 32:1-6 NIV

Listen, you heavens, and I will speak;
hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.
Let my teaching fall like rain
and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants.

I will proclaim the name of the Lord.
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,

upright and just is he.

They are corrupt and not his children;
to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation.
Is this the way you repay the Lord,
you foolish and unwise people?
Is he not your Father, your Creator,
who made you and formed you?
Continue reading: verses 7-47

God's Help is for the Present

Are You Fresh for Everything?

Taken on the whole from:
My Utmost For His Highest
By RBC Ministries

Jesus answered and said to him, ’Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’ —John 3:3

Sometimes we are fresh and eager to attend a prayer meeting, but do we feel that same freshness for such mundane tasks as polishing shoes?

Being born again by the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, and as surprising as God Himself. We don’t know where it begins— it is hidden away in the depths of our soul. Being born again from above is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning. It provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living— a continual surprise of the life of God. Staleness is an indication that something in our lives is out of step with God. We say to ourselves, “I have to do this thing or it will never get done.” That is the first sign of staleness. Do we feel fresh this very moment or are we stale, frantically searching our minds for something to do? Freshness is not the result of obedience; it comes from the Holy Spirit. Obedience keeps us “in the light as He is in the light . . .” (1 John 1:7).

Jealously guard your relationship with God. Jesus prayed “that they may be one just as We are one”-with nothing in between (John 17:22). Keep your whole life continually open to Jesus Christ. Don’t pretend to be open with Him. Are you drawing your life from any source other than God Himself? If you are depending on something else as your source of freshness and strength, you will not realize when His power is gone.

Being born of the Spirit means much more than we usually think. It gives us new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything through the never-ending supply of the life of God.

To read the original article: Are You Fresh for Everything?

Predestination Is not a Place

Prologue

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. FOR THOSE GOD FOREKNEW HE ALSO PREDESTINED FOR BE CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30

Predestination is not a place but a state of man - body, soul and spirit - when the Spirit of God has done cleansing one of impurities, circumcising the heart and reforming his or her ways. [Read: Ezekiel 36:24-32]

To be sure, the Spirit does his job in perfecting a saint through the WORD (Ephesians 5:22-27).

A Symbol of God's
Cleansing of People
Of their Unrighteousness

Zechariah 3:1-9

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”

Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.

The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.

“‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.

Like Christ a Saint Is Clothed
With Righteousness 

Galatians 3:23-29

Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

All scripture taken from New International Version by BibleGateway.com

Related article: All Spruced Up by Our Daily Bread

Nothing Thwarts God"s Purposes

Prologue

               “I know that you can do all things;
               no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Job 42:2

               For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is 

               stretched out, and who can turn it back? Isaiah 14:27

God Uses People, Sea
To Run His Purpose
For Jonah

Jonah 1:1-10

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.

But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)

An Angel Springs Peter
From Herod's Prison

Acts 12:1-11

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

N. B. All scripture taken from New International Version by BibleGateway.com

God Rules Presently through His Spirit

Prologue

               But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s

               people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”
               Numbers 11:29

               Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me
               on level ground.Psalm 143:10

               “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is
               on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth
               will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their
               descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord. Isaiah 59:21

God the Father and Christ Jesus the Son are in heaven. In their place, they have sent the Spirit to indwell the true Israelites. (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19)

God Promises the Spirit to
ALL TRUE BELIEVERS

Ezekiel 36:24-32

“‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!

The Holy Spirit Commands
Paul, Barnabas and other Disciples

Acts 13:1-11

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off

The two of them, SENT ON THEIR WAY BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.John was with them as their helper.

They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcererand false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”

N. B. All scripture taken from New International Version by BibleGateway.com

Angels Have No Wings

Prologue

               Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people 

               have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2

This piece would like to correct the common notion that angels  have wings.

In fact, when they appear to people they look like men. Always, they appear only to true believers and bear a message from God.

In contrast, fallen angels, i.e., demons usually are depicted in the Bible as spirits that enter humans, e.g. Mary Magdalene.

The Pre-incarnate Christ and Two Angels
Visited with Abraham

Genesis 18:1-5

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. ABRAHAM LOOKED UP AND SAW THREE MEN STANDING NEARBY. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

Continue reading the rest of Chapter 18.

Angels Rolled Away the Stone
Cover Of Jesus' Tomb

Luke 24: 1-8

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, SUDDENLY TWO MEN IN CLOTHES THAT GLEAMED LIKE LIGHTNING STOOD BESIDE THEM [Read Matthew 28:1-7]. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words.

My View Of Service

Prologue

Many if not all faithful will say they are called into service for the Lord.

I wonder what service one can do for Him, in fact.

The following article, The Call of the Natural Life, from My Utmost For His Highest has a very keen understanding as to what service a believer can really do.

The Call of the Natural Life

Taken on the whole from:
My Utmost For His Highest
By RBC Ministries

When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me . . . —Galatians 1:15-16

The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him. The call of God is an expression of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression of my nature. The call of the natural life was stated by the apostle Paul— “When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him [that is,purely and solemnly express Him] among the Gentiles . . . .”

Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motivation of absolute love. Service to God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is an expression of my nature, and God’s call is an expression of His nature. Therefore, when I receive His nature and hear His call, His divine voice resounds throughout His nature and mine and the two become one in service. The Son of God reveals Himself in me, and out of devotion to Him service becomes my everyday way of life.

Working Life Out Through the Word

Prologue

                   “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you,
                   you will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

                   Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on 

                   every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4

Daniel and Friends Insist on
Heaven's "Food" and "Drink"

Daniel 1:8-20

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

Only In Christ Will Man's Life
Be Worked Out for Good

John 6:32-40

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

All scripture taken from New International Version by BibleGateway.com

Man Needs only One God Among so Many

Prologue

               “God is mighty, but despises no one; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

               Job 36:5

               My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can 

               snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” 

               John 10:29-30

               There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when 

               you were called;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, 

               who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been 

               given as Christ apportioned it. Ephesians 4:4-7

God Rules Over Many "gods"
That Many People Imagine

Psalm 82:1-8 

God presides in the great assembly;
he renders judgment among the “gods”:

“How long will you defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

“The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

“I said, ‘You are “gods”;
you are all sons of the Most High.’
But you will die like mere mortals;
you will fall like every other ruler.”

Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance.

Man Uselessly Sacrifices to Idols
Who are False Gods

1 Corinthians 8:1-8

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world”and that “THERE IS NO GOD BUT ONE.” FOR EVEN IF THERE ARE SO-CALLED GODS, WHETHER IN HEAVEN OR IN EARTH (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

Related: Worship song, "Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty"

N. B. All scripture are taken from New International Version by BibleGateway.com

Born Again into a New Life

Do You Walk In White?

Taken on the whole from:
My Utmost For His Highest
By RBC Ministries

We were buried with Him . . . that just as Christ was raised from the dead . . . even so we also should walk in newness of life —Romans 6:4

No one experiences complete sanctification without going through a “white funeral”-the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more than an elusive dream. There must be a “white funeral,” a death with only one resurrection-a resurrection into the life of Jesus Christ. Nothing can defeat a life like this. It has oneness with God for only one purpose— to be a witness for Him.

Have you really come to your last days? You have often come to them in your mind, but have you really experienced them? You cannot die or go to your funeral in a mood of excitement. Death means you stop being. You must agree with God and stop being the intensely striving kind of Christian you have been. We avoid the cemetery and continually refuse our own death. It will not happen by striving, but by yielding to death. It is dying— being “baptized into His death” (Romans 6:3).

Have you had your “white funeral,” or are you piously deceiving your own soul? Has there been a point in your life which you now mark as your last day? Is there a place in your life to which you go back in memory with humility and overwhelming gratitude, so that you can honestly proclaim, “Yes, it was then, at my ’white funeral,’ that I made an agreement with God.”

“This is the will of God, your sanctification . . .” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Once you truly realize this is God’s will, you will enter into the process of sanctification as a natural response. Are you willing to experience that “white funeral” now? Will you agree with Him that this is your last day on earth? The moment of agreement depends on you.

Click here to read the original article: Do You Walk In White 

The Dark State of Fallen Man

Prologue

                There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

                Proverbs 15:12 NIV

                Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what 

                is right and never sins. Ecclesiastes 7:20 NIV

Like David Man Must
Acknowledge
His Sinful State

Psalm 51:1-6 NIV

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

As Man Sins Against God,
They Suppress God's Truth
And Suffer from It

Romans 1:18-25 NIV

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Continue Reading ...Click Here

Click Here for Worship Songs

Will You Go For God?

Called By God

Taken on the whole from:
My Utmost For His Highest
By RBC Ministries

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ’Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ’Here am I! Send me’ —Isaiah 6:8

God did not direct His call to Isaiah— Isaiah overheard God saying, “. . . who will go for Us?” The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). That is, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened. Then they hear “the voice of the Lord” continually asking, “. . . who will go for Us?” However, God doesn’t single out someone and say, “Now, you go.” He did not force His will on Isaiah. Isaiah was in the presence of God, and he overheard the call. His response, performed in complete freedom, could only be to say, “Here am I! Send me.”

Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or to plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistible pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate, insistence of His “Follow Me” was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we will allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard-”the voice of the Lord.” In perfect freedom we too will say, “Here am I! Send me.”

To read the original article CLICK HERE.

The Word Makes One Wise in All Things

Have You Ever Been Alone with God? (1)

Taken on the whole from:
My Utmost For His Highest
By RBC Ministries 

When they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples —Mark 4:34

Our Solitude with Him. Jesus doesn’t take us aside and explain things to us all the time; He explains things to us as we are able to understand them. The lives of others are examples for us, but God requires us to examine our own souls. It is slow work— so slow that it takes God all of time and eternity to make a man or woman conform to His purpose. We can only be used by God after we allow Him to show us the deep, hidden areas of our own character. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! We don’t even recognize the envy, laziness, or pride within us when we see it. But Jesus will reveal to us everything we have held within ourselves before His grace began to work. How many of us have learned to look inwardly with courage?

We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. That is always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is God. The greatest curse in our spiritual life is pride. If we have ever had a glimpse of what we are like in the sight of God, we will never say, “Oh, I’m so unworthy.” We will understand that this goes without saying. But as long as there is any doubt that we are unworthy, God will continue to close us in until He gets us alone. Whenever there is any element of pride or conceit remaining, Jesus can’t teach us anything. He will allow us to experience heartbreak or the disappointment we feel when our intellectual pride is wounded. He will reveal numerous misplaced affections or desires— things over which we never thought He would have to get us alone. Many things are shown to us, often without effect. But when God gets us alone over them, they will be clear.

Have You Ever Been Alone with God? (2)

When He was alone . . . the twelve asked Him about the parable —Mark 4:10

His Solitude with Us. When God gets us alone through suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted desires, a broken friendship, or a new friendship— when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are totally speechless, unable to ask even one question, then He begins to teach us. Notice Jesus Christ’s training of the Twelve. It was the disciples, not the crowd outside, who were confused. His disciples constantly asked Him questions, and He constantly explained things to them, but they didn’t understand until after they received the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26).

As you journey with God, the only thing He intends to be clear is the way He deals with your soul. The sorrows and difficulties in the lives of others will be absolutely confusing to you. We think we understand another person’s struggle until God reveals the same shortcomings in our lives. There are vast areas of stubbornness and ignorance the Holy Spirit has to reveal in each of us, but it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now? Or are we more concerned with our own ideas, friendships, and cares for our bodies? Jesus cannot teach us anything until we quiet all our intellectual questions and get alone with Him.

To read the original article: First and Second.

A Living Sacrifice

Prologue

               Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer

               your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true 

               and proper worship. Romans 12:1

               On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the 

               gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 

               1 Thessalonians 2:4

               Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the

               Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay 

               down in all the churches. 1 Corinthians 7:17

As Joseph Lives His Faith
God Truly Blesses Him

Genesis 39:1-10

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,  and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

God's Law is the Only
Path Of Righteousness
Jesus Lives the Model Life

Matthew 5:17-20

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I HAVE NOT COME TO ABOLISH THEM BUT TO FULFILL THEM. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Epilogue

The most proper worship of a living saint is to live uprightly and righteously as Jesus has epitomized for he came from God with full of truth and grace.

One can do this as he or she willingly allows the Spirit of God to work out the change of heart and mind that is essential for reformation.

N. B. All Scripture taken from New International Version (By BibleGateway.com)          

Husbands Have Ascendancy Over Their Wives

Prologue

               A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a

               woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For 

               Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it 

               was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will 

               be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness 

               with propriety. 1 Timothy 2:11-15

               Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For 

               the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his 

               body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so 

               also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:21-24

             

Wives' Desire for their Husbands
Rules their Lives

Genesis 3:12-16 

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

To the woman he said,

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”

Both Devoted to Jacob,
Leah and Rachel Bear
Him Children

Genesis 29: 31-35

When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.

Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children. 

Continue reading: Genesis 30:1-22

Epilogue

A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own[c] head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. 1 Corinthians 11:7-12

N. B. All Scripture taken from New International Version (By www.biblegateway.com)

God Hears Everyone Who Calls on Him

Prologue

               The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
               Proverbs 15:29 NIV

               The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their 

               troubles. Psalm 34:17 NIV
             

God Took Care of Abraham
Life's Circumstances

Genesis 16:7-15 NIV

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

The angel of the Lord also said to her:

“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

Satan Took Care of Judas

Matthew 27:2-5 NIV

Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Listen to related music: God Will Make A Way, etc.

Obedience Alienates

What My Obedience to God Costs Other People

Taken on the whole from:
My Utmost For His Highest
By RBC Ministries

As they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon . . . , and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus —Luke 23:26

If we obey God, it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the pain begins. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything— it is a delight. But to those who do not love Him, our obedience does cost a great deal. If we obey God, it will mean that other people’s plans are upset. They will ridicule us as if to say, “You call this Christianity?” We could prevent the suffering, but not if we are obedient to God. We must let the cost be paid.

When our obedience begins to cost others, our human pride entrenches itself and we say, “I will never accept anything from anyone.” But we must, or disobey God. We have no right to think that the type of relationships we have with others should be any different from those the Lord Himself had (see Luke 8:1-3).

A lack of progress in our spiritual life results when we try to bear all the costs ourselves. And actually, we cannot. Because we are so involved in the universal purposes of God, others are immediately affected by our obedience to Him. Will we remain faithful in our obedience to God and be willing to suffer the humiliation of refusing to be independent? Or will we do just the opposite and say, “I will not cause other people to suffer”? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but it will grieve our Lord. If, however, we obey God, He will care for those who have suffered the consequences of our obedience. We must simply obey and leave all the consequences with Him.

Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.

Author's Note: Obedience to the principles of God sets one apart spiritually [not necessarily physical] from most people. 

Related Article: The Journey Begins

Live or Die

Prologue

If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 1 John 5:16

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
James 2:10

One Who Sins Dies;
One Who Repents and
Remains Righteous Lives

Ezekiel 18:1-9

The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:

               “‘The parents eat sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.

“Suppose there is a righteous man
who does what is just and right.
HE DOES NOT EAT AT THE MOUNTAIN SHRINES
OR LOOK TO THE IDOLS OF ISRAEL
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.
He does not oppress anyone,
but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and provides clothing for the naked.
He does not lend to them at interest
or take a profit from them.
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
and judges fairly between two parties.
He follows my decrees
and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;
he will surely live,
declares the Sovereign Lord.

Continue Reading: verses 10-24

Epilogue

Ezekiel 18:25-32

“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die. Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. WHY WILL YOU DIE, PEOPLE OF ISRAEL? FOR ITAKE NO PLEASURE IN THE DEATH OF ANYONE, declares the Sovereign Lord. REPENT AND LIVE!

N. B. All Scripture taken from New International Version (by BibleGateway.com)

God Is Everywhere

God is in Jacob's Dreams
He Can Be in Every
True Believers' Dreams

Genesis 28:10-17 NIV

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” Continue reading: verses 18-22

Related Passage

     

     - Psalm 139

Jesus Comforts the Troubled

Prologue

                 He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful 

                 toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.” Genesis 5:29 NIV

               
                 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are 

                 with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 NIV

Before He Leaves,
Jesus Promises the
Holy Spirit to His
Disciples 

John 14:1-4; 15-21 NIV

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

“If you love me, keep my commands. AND I WILL ASK THE FATHER, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU ANOTHER ADVOCATE TO HELP YOU AND BE WITH YOU FOREVER— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him,because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Returning the Blessings

Worship

Taken on the whole from:
My Utmost For His Highest
By RBC Ministries

He moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord —Genesis 12:8

Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love-gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard it for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded (see Exodus 16:20). God will never allow you to keep a spiritual blessing completely for yourself. It must be given back to Him so that He can make it a blessing to others.

Bethel is the symbol of fellowship with God; Ai is the symbol of the world. Abram “pitched his tent” between the two. The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him. Rushing in and out of worship is wrong every time— there is always plenty of time to worship God. Days set apart for quiet can be a trap, detracting from the need to have daily quiet time with God. That is why we must “pitch our tents” where we will always have quiet times with Him, however noisy our times with the world may be. There are not three levels of spiritual life— worship, waiting, and work. Yet some of us seem to jump like spiritual frogs from worship to waiting, and from waiting to work. God’s idea is that the three should go together as one. They were always together in the life of our Lord and in perfect harmony. It is a discipline that must be developed; it will not happen overnight.

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The Word is also the Bread

Prologue   

 
                    Jesus said, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life .
                    John 6:63

                    Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on
                    every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 NIV

A Prophecy About the
Bread from Heaven

Exodus 16:1-5 NIV

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” Continue Reading

Jesus tells Israelites to
Live by His Teachings
To HAVE LIFE

John 6:35-40 NIV

Then Jesus declared, “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” Continue Reading...verses 41-59

The Word

                    The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong
                    to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
                    Deuteronomy 29:29 NIV

God Reveals Salvation Plan

God wants to reveal himself to men. This has been in His thoughts even before Creation. God wants to unfold before them in general and individually as well, His plan to redeem all humankind from the FALL that He he has foreseen from the very start.

                    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
                    was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were
                    made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life,
                    and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness,
                    and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5 NIV

The Holy Scripture

The WORD from heaven is Christ. The Holy Scripture. the Old and New Testaments, contain the entire work of Christ - past, present and future.

In the Old Covenant
Christ Reveals the Plan
In Veiled Terms

In the Old Testament, the pre-incarnate Christ is the man who spoke and met with Abraham, Moses, et al., and the Israelites, a type of God's children. He revealed to the Israelites through men of God his plan of redemption, especially the coming of the Christ or Messiah.

In the New Covenant
Christ Revealed the Plan
Though His Life, Death,
Resurrection and Ascension

In the New Testament, the Word came on earth as flesh and blood, totally human. He spoke of the REDEMPTION. His life modeled the Spirit-empowered life that the children of God must live. Of course, his prophesied death in the Old Testament as the ransom to be paid for the freedom of those who believe Him, was fulfilled. His resurrection and ascension to heaven continue the revelation of God's salvation of His children.

Now. the living Jesus Christ serves as the High Priest; later to ascend the throne of judgment at the Father's appointed time, which signals the days of the end.

Revelation, the Last Book
of the Bible is the Microcosm
of the Salvation Plan

The book of Revelation comes from the WORD OF GOD, i.e., Christ, himself through John. It encapsulates the features or highlights of the Old and New Testaments. It summarizes the past, present and future of mankind - from beginning to end.

In other words, Revelation is the whole Scripture in digest form. It reveals the complete work of Christ in the salvation of the many who believe in Him - the Word sent from God!

Epilogue

The Old and New Testaments, the TWO WITNESSES (John 8:17; Revelation 11:3) - are the testimony of God through Christ. They are to be taken together to establish the TRUTH.

Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed to the Father, "Sanctify them [God's children] by the truth; YOUR WORD IS TRUTH.

Trusting God Entirely

Will You Go Out Without Knowing?

Taken entirely from:
My Utmost For His Highest
By RBC Ministries

He went out, not knowing where he was going —Hebrews 11:8

Have you ever “gone out” in this way? If so, there is no logical answer possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the most difficult questions to answer in Christian work is, “What do you expect to do?”You don’t know what you are going to do. The only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing. Continually examine your attitude toward God to see if you are willing to “go out” in every area of your life, trusting in God entirely. It is this attitude that keeps you in constant wonder, because you don’t know what God is going to do next. Each morning as you wake, there is a new opportunity to “go out,” building your confidence in God. “. . . do not worry about your life . . . nor about the body . . .” (Luke 12:22). In other words, don’t worry about the things that concerned you before you did “go out.”

Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do— He reveals to you who He is. Do you believe in a miracle-working God, and will you “go out” in complete surrender to Him until you are not surprised one iota by anything He does?

Believe God is always the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him. Then think how unnecessary and disrespectful worry is! Let the attitude of your life be a continual willingness to “go out” in dependence upon God, and your life will have a sacred and inexpressible charm about it that is very satisfying to Jesus. You must learn to “go out” through your convictions, creeds, or experiences until you come to the point in your faith where there is nothing between yourself and God.

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