I can get ahead of myself, especially when hearing from God. I must continually remind myself to be obedient and let Him drive.
When told he was going to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses didn’t pull out his GPS and begin to plot his coordinates. He argued and protested. Surely God wouldn’t use a stuttering murderer for something this important!
When Abraham was informed he would become a father of nations, he didn’t go looking for his Barry White CDs and the good champagne. No, he and his wife laughed. Sarah was barren and they were old as dirt. They had given up on having a family long ago. What was God thinking?
It may be difficult to imagine, but Abraham and Moses were real people just like us. It takes a while to comprehend our ancient cousins and the world and time in which they lived. Although our clothes are better and we have indoor plumbing, they were not that much different in their humanity. Like each one of us, they had their good qualities, faults and foibles. They lied and cheated, loved and lost, but their lives mattered to God.
We, too, are here for a reason. I have no doubt that God has given every one of His children a purpose, and He expects us to fulfill it. How we go about that, well… determines other things. Lately I am conflicted about my own personal role. It is just so darn hard to tell the lions from the Christians these days.
Having a servant’s heart and being a rescuer is a good thing, right? Apparently not in every case, as I was admonished in my devotional this morning. Oswald Chambers- who will never be mistaken for Sarah Young- thinks nothing of ripping the scab off and leaving you bleeding before breakfast.
My Utmost for His Highest https://utmost.org/
Can I be a watchman and a nurturer? Essentially, the watchman is a firefighter; a first responder, if you will. He’s going to do everything in his power to rescue you from that burning building. If you resist, he may simply knock you out and throw you over his shoulder, carrying you to safety.
A nurturer will carefully consider your feelings and sensibilities. He or she will tiptoe around sensitive issues, and hand you Kleenex, as you cry. They will apologetically hand you a fire extinguisher and let you decide what to do about the fire.
I think our natural proclivity lies somewhere between these two opposite poles. When I am one step short of chastising in righteous anger, I tend to question my capacity for mercy and grace. Certainly, I am reminded of my own personal unlimited forgiveness.
When I’m on my knees praying for the drug addict or giving money to a homeless person, I am reminded of scripture that tells me I need to let them fall further, that they might find salvation in the Lord. In fact, I’m told I may be hindering God with my enabling. How am I supposed to know this stuff?
Ultimately, we need to find a middle ground. I believe that God puts specific people right in front of us, for us to work with, to love and to nurture. He gives us His words that are like newly-planted seeds. Sometimes the words will water or fertilize a seed that has already taken root. The harvest usually comes much later, perhaps from one well-timed hug or scripture verse.
On the other hand, if we’re rebuking the enemy, we can’t be using our inside voice. It needs to be righteous anger, as if a dog were attacking your child. You would not be asking it to kindly release that child’s arm from its teeth. You would pick up a stick and threaten it. Believers in Christ were not given the spirit of fear. The same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us and gives us boldness to rebuke evil.
My point in all of this is that our world is out of whack and out of control. Good is called evil and evil is called good. Common courtesy and simple servitude is out the window. We are paralyzed by political correctness, but road rage prevails. Stressed-out motorists jockey for position that has nothing to do with the road conditions. The entire country is divided, and social media is a battlefield. Occasionally, something will make me laugh out loud and perhaps even comment. I never tire of the levity.
The darkness comes in the form of disrespect and downright hatred, usually in the realm of religion or politics. The seething anger appears to have an undertone of fear, which is prevalent in this country. We, the people, have never been so widely divided by issues of sexuality, religious preference and political agenda.
How do we bridge a gap this wide when we no longer have the tools of civility and common courtesy. On top of that, we have an endless platform in which to hide behind anonymity. Instead of Facebook, it should be called Two-Facebook or Face-less book.
This is where choice comes into play. We make decisions and choices every day- some consciously and some by rote. Paper or plastic? Smoking or nonsmoking? Sweet or unsweet?
Is there freedom in choice? “Click it or ticket” is the slogan in Florida for the seatbelt law. If you don’t click it, you’ll get a ticket.
There are varying penalties for our choices. When we say yes to dessert and avoid the gym, most of us will usually gain weight.
Choosing to exceed the speed limit may result in a ticket or an accident. The accident may be a fender bender or result in a total wreck with injuries. The worst case scenario may include death, to you or others. Unfortunately, innocent people are often affected by others’ choices and bad decisions.
Forgiveness has got to be the toughest choice, especially when we or our loved ones have been injured – physically or emotionally, sometimes critically or terminally. Yet the Bible is clear that if we do not forgive others, we will not be forgiven for our own sins.
To be successful, we need to know the truth and where to find it. The Bible is the inspired written Word of God and holds the answers to all of life’s questions. The Word of God is our weapon, our sword. Every warrior knows that the time to sharpen their weapon is before they need to use it. Therefore, we must immerse ourselves in the written Word of God, becoming familiar with the promises it contains.
Most Christians own several Bibles, yet lack basic understanding of the knowledge and power it holds. Not only is it filled with the chronology of the universe, it is rich in history, geography, fierce battles, countless miracles, love stories, and the promises that God has made to His people.
The Bible contains more than 5000 promises, every one of them as genuine as the day they were penned. God does not change with the times. Unlike new math, His Word is the same today as it was yesterday, and will continue to be tomorrow. I challenge you to find God’s promises in His Word, and begin to write them down.
I will start the list with my favorites:
PEACE– Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
COMFORT– Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
REST– Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)
ABILITY– I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13)
ETERNAL LIFE– but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4:14)
“Choose this day whom you will serve” is a popular Bible scripture that is generally followed by “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” This choice results in salvation and everlasting life or eternal separation from God.
All of God’s promises came at great cost. They are shadowed by the cross of crucifixion, and splattered with the precious, redemptive blood of our Savior. The choice is yours, whether to believe the promises and stand boldly upon them, or to dispute and disparage them. A gift of these promises was freely given and must be freely accepted.
As for me and my house we shall serve the Lord.
What are your personal favorite promises of God? Share them with the rest of us and let us learn and grow together as a family. May God cause His face to shine upon you and grant you peace…
My favorite Psalm is 119. The Psalmist writes over and over again of his love for the Word of God. His Law (capital L, not the lower case l that denotes the law of the Pharisees.) God’s Word is so beautiful and every time I read it I see something new and wonder why I never saw that before! Along with Psalm 119 is the promise of the Holy Spirit in John 14 and the beautiful prayer of Yeshua for his followers. With the Word if God as my plum line and the Spirit of God as my Counselor I can handle anything the world, my own flesh, or the enemy throws as me. Thankful for His everlasting, never changing love for me♥️♥️
Well spoken and well stated, as usual. If people really believed the promises contained in the Bible, the world would look different that it does. I’m convinced that the large majority of Christians don’t read the Bible enough to be able to stand boldly and confidently on the Blood of our Redeemer. I continue to pray for eyes, minds, and hearts to be opened. Shalom!
Sis Marie,
Philippians 4:13….. I can do all things through Christ Jesus( Yeshua Hamashia) who strengthens me. Exodus 14:14…. fear not for the Egyptians who troubled you in yesterday will not trouble you today. My paraphrase of my favorites scriptures.
Love Toni
2 Chronicles 7:14
Luke 21:36
Lord’s Prayer
Walter Veith of Amazing Discoveries, now Clash of Minds, came out with his What’s Up Prof weekly YouTube/Rumble videos in early 2020…..Hegelian Dialect is a strategy by the powers behind the scenes to create division from behind the scenes, then claim credit for unifying the opposing parties. Professor Veith has taught me so much about church history, prophecy, timeline, etc. His channel also has some other wonderful programming…..
I am a big fan…