Forgot His Works – Praying Pint

Do not be double-minded and unstable

Psalms 119:81 My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes long for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?” For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes. How long must your servant endure? When will you judge those who persecute me? The insolent have dug pitfalls for me; they do not live according to your law. All your commandments are sure; they persecute me with falsehood; help me! They have almost made an end of me on earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts. In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.

Psalms 119:20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.

Psalms 119:40 Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!

Psalms 42:1-2 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

Psalms 84:2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Psalms 119:42 then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.

Psalms 119:74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word.

Psalms 119:77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.

Revelation 3:15-16 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Matthew 24:12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Psalms 81:11-13 “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. Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!

Joshua 24:15-24 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve,

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

James 1:8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

There are many things that can lead us down a path of being “lukewarm or double-minded”. Probably the most influential would be being complacent with and neglecting God’s word.

His word is a lamp unto my feet, food to my soul, strength to my heart, encouragement to my mind. In and through His word is the “Good News” of the gospel of Jesus Christ, our savior.

Determine in and through His word what it means to humbly serve, honor, glorify, follow and obey Him. Learn of His holiness, grace, mercy, and love. Learn of His promises. Learn to hear His quiet whispers of leading. Learn to trust in, rely on, and cling to Him.

They believed His words

“Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.”

“with minds set on earthly things.”

John 6:26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Psalms 106:12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;

Ezekiel 33:31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Romans 16:18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,

Philippians 2:21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 6:5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

How many times do we act this same way? “Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel” Where we do not wait for His leading. Where our ears are not listening for His guidance. Where our heart is set on me, myself, and I. When the people asked Jesus what works must we do to be doing the work of God, He said believe in whom He sent. But there is more to “believing” than a thought process in our brain. This belief changes us, or should. Scripture today speaks of many who believed but their belief was not heart and soul deep. God said to love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind. Give God all your heart, soul and mind. Spend time in His word. Learn of Him and how to serve Him. Love Him more than things of this world. Learn to give. Learn to love, learn to serve, learn to make disciples, learn to give, learn to hope, learn to grow faith, learn for His wisdom. Spend time in His word. Through believing these actions become evidenced; humble service, God honoring, following faithfully, obeying completely, listening fully, waiting patiently, giving generously, praising and thanking continually.

They soon forgot

“then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.”

“They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,”

“Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.”

“They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,”

“they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.

Psalms 78:35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. 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.

Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

Deuteronomy 32:30 How could one have chased a thousand, and two have put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves.

Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Reading these scriptures should challenge our heart and mind to faithfully serve God with our whole heart mind and soul. Just as those from years gone by have done, we too need to be certain our mouth is not saying one thing and our heart is serving another – more than likely (Me, Myself, and I). His word tells us that people easily forget God and what it means to cling to, rely on, and trust in Him. It is hard to tell who these people are because many times all we hear is what comes from their mouth. “they honor me with their mouth but their heart is far from Me”. I wonder if it is our lack of spending time in knowing and understanding His word. I wonder if we judge our walk by how others walk and in doing so we end up at a place where our faith is nothing more than words spoken. This is a place where there is no heart deep desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God but rather just words stating it. God sees our heart and knows our thoughts and intents. Many will enter eternity and when standing before God will hear depart from Me for I never knew you. Be mindful of what it means to be redeemed and to follow and obey Him with all your heart, mind and soul.

In the Beginning

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Psa 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Psalms 148:1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

2 Peter 3:5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,

Deuteronomy 4:19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.

Romans 1:25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

In the beginning God!!!! I understand our desire to keep looking for more and more understanding of science but not at the cost of leaving God out of it. How many have dug so deep they are now a quest to prove how everything came into being without God. Theories and more theories abound trying to prove this. The end of this search is more and more searching. Can you imagine what these hearts would be like if that same desire was placed understanding God and thanking Him for His creation. We do well to keep our eyes on the creator.

Praise Him

“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.”

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?“

Psalms 33:1 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

Psalms 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

Psalms 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalms 147:1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

Psalms 135:3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!

Isaiah 42:10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth

Psalms 98:1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Ezekiel 33:31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Deuteronomy 5:28 “And the LORD heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

Psalms 106:12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.

Praising God, shouting for joy, singing a new song, being glad, rejoicing, and giving thanks are all actions that come from a heart and mind serving God with reverence, awe and wonder. We choose to do these actions and at the same time they are a natural outpouring of our soul to God for the great compassion and love He has shown and will continue to show to those who seek, serve and follow Him. Do you find these actions a natural outpouring in your life? They should be. If they aren’t ask God to open your eyes to the many wonders and blessings given to us. The blessing of promises that He will guide us, lift us up, protect us, be our strength, our hope, our joy, our peace, our place of rest. The blessings of His word. The blessings of fellow believers. The blessings of the Holy Spirit. The blessings of salvation through Jesus Christ. The blessings of forgiveness. The blessings and wonders of creation. The list of blessings is endless. Praise His name, shout for joy, sing, be glad, rejoice, and give thanks.

Over and Over

“Make them known to your children and your children’s children”

Judges 3:7
And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth

Deuteronomy 4:9
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children—

Deuteronomy 32:18
You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you,
and you forgot the God who gave you birth

Psalms 78:11
They forgot his works
and the wonders that he had shown them

Psalms 106:7
Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wondrous works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea

It seems like the theme this week has been the same over and over again – Unmindful – Forgetting God – Not Remembering – Following what they deemed best in their own eyes – Rebelling – Doing evil in the sight of God. I keep thinking that it does not have to be this way. We do have a choice in the matter of serving God. However we seem to like to choose self over God. Me, myself, I are always wanting to put self first. Do I assume I know best? Do I think I am able to find satisfaction away from God? I have no idea why self keeps pushing to the forefront but I do know that I find life more fulfilling with God leading. A good start for every day would be for us to chose to humbly serve God every day. Keep in mind that self wants to be first and we need to die to self every day.