If we could just follow this command, we would be walking closer to the Lord than ever before. With overflowing peace. It applies in marriages, friendships, work relationships, church family…it goes on. Yes, even when we are driving!
Without compassion, we will be blinded by pride and our emotions. A humble spirit helps us, to treat others in a Godly fashion.
The childhood mantra, “Jesus first, others second, me last,” is not a bad thing for us mature Christians to take to heart.
Our opinions don’t count.
Proverbs 8:1-8 KJV [1] Doth not wisdom cry? And understanding put forth her voice? [2] She standeth in the top of high places, by the way In the places of the paths. [3] She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, At the coming in at the doors. [4] Unto you, O men, I call; And my voice is to the sons of man. [5] O ye simple, understand wisdom: And, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. [6] Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; And the opening of my lips shall be right things. [7] For my mouth shall speak truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. [8] All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing froward or perverse in them.
Talents in the Bible, are not always gold. Sometimes it is strength, faithfulness, good listening ear, music, etc… The talents given to us by our Creator, must be given back to Him, ten-fold!
It is by faith alone. We can contribute nothing to our salvation. Sincere belief in His finished work is our only hope.
When liars and cheats are cornered, they will deny and/or try to escape. So much better to be forthright, and truthful in all things.
Jonah 1:1 “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,” Jonah 1:2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.” Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went […]
What We Can Learn From Jonah 1
Giving does not always mean money. Often, it is your precious time or talent.
Worldly wisdom might make you prosperous. It might even make you happy.
But approval and acceptance by the world is never a good sign for true Bible believers. As a former pro musician, I can affirm that compromise is required as much as talent is.
In the same vein of thought, this applies to the pulpits of our churches. If preachers like Rick Warren are adored by the mainstream media, there must exist compromise. The world system requires it!
If you have ever experienced a church falling to purpose driven or other Roman Catholic ideology, take solace from the fact that we are even closer to hearing “come up hither.”
How merciful and faithful our Lord Jesus Christ is! How kind! How just! Oh how He loves us!
This verse has gained a lot of traffic in the past few years. It bears closer study than pop stars and athletes like to give it. The truly amazing section is this:
“that he gave his only begotten Son,”
The Lord GAVE, which denotes there must be an intended recipient of that gift.
“BEGOTTEN,” is replaced with “one and only Son,” in the NIV. Webster’s defines begotten as: procreated; generated. This is of huge significance to all Bible believers. Satan wants to diminish the extraordinary aspect of the Conception of Christ, which was 100% supernatural. Through devious means, the evil one seeks to destroy the deity of Christ in every way he can.
Hold fast to the doctrine of the only begotten Son of God.
The selfless life, is the sacrificial life. Putting yourself under the Cross, and dying to self, involves every aspect of our lives.
Of special note is how this applies to the Christian marriage. The happiest marriages reflect Christ’s love for His church.
I love the hymn “Living for Jesus.” This verse from 1 John, states that ***we live through him***
Living through Him is a manifestation of our salvation. We reflect Him outwards, to a lost and dying world. At all times, we need to realize that those outside will judge the entire Body of Christ and His Word, by how one Christian acts and speaks. Sobering thought…
How I long for that day!
Now is the time. Repent and accept the free gift of Salvation through faith in Christ Jesus!
When my old blogging partner destroyed this blog, due to severe TDS, I had thought it was gone forever.
Until years later, my daughter was able to restore this blog! In its heyday, we had over 10,000 followers, and we (blogging partner and I) easily spent several hours every single day, working on it. Now, I struggle to give it that kind of attention again. When he destroyed it, I lost hope in the blog.
This feeling is what many Christians have, when their lives seem to be in the pit of despair. They lose hope in believing, because their hearts are focused on this world, instead of our future in glory with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The peace in believing!
We are all lost without Him. From top to bottom, billionaire to homeless…completely lost.
It is sometimes difficult to understand how anyone, once given the Gospel, can reject it. We can find the answer, by going back to the very beginning…the Garden of Eden. What exactly happened there, was Adam choosing his wife over God. He loved Eve more than he loved God. Which in reality, was self-love.
That is what happens with all who reject the Gospel. They love themselves and their sin. They have no desire to be freed from that sin. So tragic, but I see it all the time.
If we understand that His Spirit lives within us, we will want to starve our natural man, and feed the new born one.
Here is a fact. We must call upon Him in TRUTH! If we are completely honest with the Lord, He is near us. Adam attempted to deceive the Lord, when he tried to hide from Him. The Lord knows ALL things, and nothing can be hidden from Him. If we want real closeness with the LORD, we must be truthful with ourselves, others, and the Lord Himself most of all.
We cannot save ourselves.
Focus on Jesus, and this wicked world fades away…
John 15:4-7 KJV
[4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
[5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
[6] If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
[7] If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
sage
John 1:29-32 KJV
[29] The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
[30] This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
[31] And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
[32] And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
The Vine Vigil 