Darkness – Page 12 – Praying Pint

Darkness to Light

Psalms 82:5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Proverbs 1:29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

Romans 1:28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

Ecclesiastes 2:14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness

John 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

John 12:35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

1 John 2:11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.

Ecclesiastes 3:16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.

2 Timothy 2:19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

There is one thing that keeps coming to mind from these scriptures. People without Christ walk in darkness and they have no clue they are. In fact they do not even know what the light is or how it will help or where to find it. We are to be a reflection of this light, able to tell them of the light, and where it can be found. Being a reflection means our way of light ought to be easily recognized as different from the world we live in. The way we talk, react, think, and respond. Our lives should reflect joy, peace, wisdom, understanding, hope, love, generosity, strength, courage, and concern all in the help and name of Jesus Christ. Is it possible, as christians, that we too choose to live in darkness or with the light set to very dim. Are we drifting away to a life of complacency, neglecting our calling to be light unto a lost generation. Do we set our expectations so low for being a follower of Christ that there is no visible differences between us and those lost other than going to church on Sunday? I think we have fallen into and follow a lie. That lie is “it is up to the pastor, preacher to tell the gospel and up to me to go hear him teach and preach” rather than being a reflection of Christ and telling others of His great love, hope, joy, peace ……. Out of the abundance of our heart the mouth will speak. If nothing is coming out and nothing can be seen differently in our lives then we certainly need to look at what is filling our heart. Living to be a humble servant, honoring, following, and obeying God requires us to choose to be in His word with the desire and intent to know Him and how to serve Him and be able to discern His leading each day. Our reflection of the light of Christ will grow brighter and brighter as we choose to be in His word and be used by Him.

Walk in His strength

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”

“ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

“come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.”

“For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.”

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,”

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.”

Zechariah 10:12 I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the LORD.

Psalms 68:34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies. Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!

Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 45:24 “Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him.

2 Timothy 2:1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,

1 John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Our life path takes us through times of trials and testing. It is hard say “I will not fear”, or “I will not be dismayed”, or “I will walk in His light”, while going through them. It seems as though we are being crushed and blessings of peace, joy, hope, power, strength, and love are just words with no meaning. Yet on the other side of these times of trials and testing we see more clearly how the strength, power and hand of God carried us through. I am amazed at how God works and how He seems to send the right person(s) into our life at the right time, when we need that help, encouragement, and word of God’s promises spoken into our life. Stay in His word, listen for His whispers of direction, and be ever ready to be used by Him to help others.

Handiwork of God

Psalms 74:16 Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.

Psalms 136:7 to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Genesis 1:14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

Psalms 136:3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;

“The heavens declare the glory of God.” There is so much we take for granted. We see the sun come up every day and as well the moon and stars, yet we forget the awesome power of God who spoke them into existence. In Romans it says that “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” We chase after so much and so easily turn a blind eye toward the handiwork of God. I recently heard a man speaking from back in 1975 on the expanse of the galaxies and how many stars are estimated. We seem to be able to see more and more with the latest technology which shows the expanse of God’s creation. This same man said it appears as though we are being allowed to come out of a designed permitted ignorance. There have been so many new discoveries in the last 25 years about the universe we live in. These discoveries, though new to us, have been there since creation. It seems as though God is allowing mankind to see more of His creation. Don’t get lost in the science and discoveries. Keep grounded in knowing God is the creator of all there is. Commit to humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying Him.

Heals the brokenhearted

“Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.”

“And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”

“who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,”

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Malachi 4:2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

Psalms 85:9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

Isaiah 66:1 Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.

Hosea 6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

Jeremiah 33:6 Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.

We serve this God – “All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” This is the God who’s hands have made and by which all things came to be. God seeks those with a humble and contrite heart. To these there are many blessings and promises given. It seems like today we have so much information at our finger tips that we lose sight of God and trust rather in what we find on a google search. Remember to put Him first and seek His guidance and direction. Yes He surely can direct and lead us through all of our decisions, trials and troubles. He is the mighty awesome powerful creator.

Judgement Day is Coming

“Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.”

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

“But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”

“This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.”

“so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment,”

Malachi 4:1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

Malachi 3:2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

Ezekiel 7:10 “Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded

Joel 2:1 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,

Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there.

2 Peter 3:7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Isaiah 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

Zephaniah 3:8 “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.

Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

2 Peter 2:9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Such great scripture today to keep in mind the urgency to proclaim salvation through Christ to the lost. The day of judgement is coming, a time when there will no longer be any time to change your heart and mind to believe in and humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God. This day will come when people least expect and much like those who’s lives are cut short by death. Always thinking there is another day, another time to fully commit and trust God. Let each of us be willing to be used by God and shine the light of His grace, mercy and love.

Who can Endure

“How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?”

Malachi 3:2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

Zechariah 13:9 And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”

Malachi 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Amos 5:18 Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?

We need to be very conscious of our commitment to God. Note the words of prophets who declared the coming of the Lord. When the Lord returns He comes with judgment. Everyone will face Him for what they have done in their life and for the commitment, desire, and purpose they have lived it. I wonder if we claim the love, mercy and grace of God but do not give thought to what it means to live in knowledge of this. If we have basic understanding of His holiness and our sinfulness we see this love, mercy and grace from God with thankfulness and a desire to live our life worthy of humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying Him. Any other response or demonstration from our life is lacking in service to God. Keep God first and subject all in life to understanding what it means to fully live for Him.

Walking Blameless

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,”

“there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.”

“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

“ They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common,”

Malachi 2:7 True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.”

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Jeremiah 23:22 But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

James 5:19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Psalms 37:30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,

Titus 1:7-9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

What does it mean to walk blameless before God? How do you know if you are? How do you know if you are a worker who has no need to be ashamed? How do you know if you speak wisdom? What is a persons life like if they have wondered from the truth? What does it mean to stand in the council of God? What is proper instruction? These questions come to mind when reading these scriptures today. The answers to these are as many as the stars in the sky. However the foundation for answering them is found first in believing in God, having reverence for Him, knowing you are a sinner and in need of redemption, looking to and trusting in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, repenting and truing away from sin, and choosing to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God. Staying in His word will continue to refine the answers asked above.

They did not Listen

“Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness.”

“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.”

Malachi 2:1 “And now, O priests, this command is for you, If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts.

Deuteronomy 28:15 “But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.

“All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,

Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see.

Isaiah 30:8 And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever. For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD; who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;

With all of the promises in God’s word for blessings I wonder if we overlook the warnings. Notice “if you do not listen”, if you do not take to heart”, and “because they did not listen” make known the warning and actions taken by God. God is not mocked – what a man sows so shall he reap. With God in our lives we have peace, hope, joy, comfort, and rest. He is our rock, refuge, strength and power. In Him we can do all things and endure all things. Desire to know Him. Commit to humbly serving Him. Honor, follow, and obey Him. Listen for the whispers of guidance as you read His word and contemplate it. Our purpose this side of eternity is to serve Him fully.

Those who know Your name

“ And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.”

“ for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”

Psalms 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.

Psalms 142:1 With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.

Psalms 56:1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me;

Psalms 69:13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

Psalms 119: 76 Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.

Psalms 125:1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

Psalms 17:7 Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,

Psalms 36:7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Psalms 61:4 Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

Zechariah 1:4 Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD.

Nehemiah 9:30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

Proverbs 1:24 Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,

You can see the heart of man that calls out to God, has these attributes: relies on God, trusts in God, clings to God, believes in God, obeys God, seeks God, delights in God, and finds comfort, rest, peace, joy and hope in God. On the other hand we can see the heart of those who choose not to stay close to God and do exactly the opposite. How much do we rely on God? Do we delight in His word and the direction it gives to our daily lives? Do we discern what it is saying and rejoice in the promises of God? Do we acknowledge God’s reproof and conviction in our lives? Do we choose to hear His voice? Do we seek His leading? Replace the “We” in all of the questions above with “I”. Truthful answers will expose where we are lacking in humbly serving, giving, following, honoring, and obeying God. Every commitment starts with a purpose/goal and choice to change and prioritize time for it, frequent reflection and focus. Commit to Him and His word. Commit to humbly serving, honoring, following, obeying Him with all you heart, soul, and mind.

The Price is Paid

“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

“For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.”

Psalms 50:23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

Isaiah 48:22 “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”

Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Ezekiel 18:27 Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life.

Isaiah 1:11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

Jeremiah 7:4 Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’ “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.

Matthew 7:3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Romans 2:17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

Psalms 25:14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.

Psalms 78:36 But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant. Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.

Jesus Christ went to the cross to redeem all who would come to him, believe in him, and trust in his sacrifice for their sin. Scripture says “for the joy set before him” he willingly bore our sin to redeem us. We come to this saving grace knowledge not by words but by a God drawn, Spirit led, Christ redeemed changed heart. The price paid was God’s only son. The price paid was freely and willingly given for the single purpose of redeeming those who would turn to him, trust in him, believe in him, cling to him, and rely on him alone for salvation of their soul. This is the most important decision ever made this side of eternity. It determines eternity with him in heaven or being forever tormented in hell. The time for this decision is NOW. The urgency of this decision is NOW. Your eternal life depends on this NOW. Seek him while he may be found. Making this decision is never regretted now and for certain forever but not making it will certainly be regretted forever. There is no better time than Now to trust in, rely on, cling to and humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.