Tag: His presence

“We will come to them and make our home with them.”

 

 

John 14:23.   Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

 Psalms 91:1     He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

 Isaiah 57:15     For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

 Romans 8:9   You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

 1 John 2:24      Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

 1 John 4:15-16    Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

 Revelation 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

 Revelation 7:15-17    “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

 Revelation 22:3    No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.

 Jhn 14:26  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Is there any greater promise than salvation, forgiveness, restoration, in-dwelling Holy Spirit, and eternal life? Grace, mercy, and love are offered to us through Jesus Christ. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.  

Think about this! While we were going about our sinful lives doing sinful things, thinking sinful thoughts, giving no thought to Jesus Christ being beaten, whipped, nailed to a cross, and dying as a sacrifice for our sins, He did this. There was nothing in us or about us that was worthy of Him giving His life so that we could have a new birth and eternal life. Our lives were a mess, our actions were not God-honoring. Our thoughts were only with selfish desires. We gave no thought to or about God, and if we did, it was in passing. We gave no thought to eternity, eternal life, or eternal torment. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, in us worthy of such a sacrifice, and yet, in our worthless, sinful, ungodly lives, God reached out to us through His Son Jesus Christ for our redemption. Not only that, but God, promises to indwell those who invite Him into their lives through faith, trust, obedience, and reliance in/on Jesus Christ.

If you think you are not worthy of the Love of Jesus Christ. You are right, but PRAISE be to God, He knows all about every single worthless and sinful thing about you and still stands at the door of your heart, knocking and offering eternal life. His grace, mercy, and love are greater than anything you have done in the past.  Listen for His knock and offer of salvation, forgiveness, restoration, in-dwelling Holy Spirit, and eternal life. Trust His promises! 

Your life will be forever changed.

53.d. Joshua 1:10-18

 

 

Jos 1:10-18  And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’” And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.” And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you, as he was with Moses!  Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

John 14:23.   Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

 Deuteronomy 5:27     Go near and hear all that the LORD our God will say, and speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’

 Psalms 90:1     Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.

 Psalms 91:1    He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

 Isaiah 57:15      For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

 Romans 8:9-11  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

 Revelation 7:15-17    “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

The people of Israel engage to obey Joshua; All that thou commandest us to do we will readily do, without murmuring or disputing, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go. The best we can ask of God for our magistrates, is, that they may have the presence of God; that will make them blessings to us, so that in seeking this for them, we consult our own interest. May we be enabled to enlist under the banner of the Captain of our salvation, to be obedient to his commands, and to fight the good fight of faith, with all that trust in and love his name, against all who oppose his authority; for whoever refuses to obey him must be destroyed. (Henry)

I will not leave you orphans, or fatherless, for though I leave you, yet I leave you this comfort, I will come to you. I will come speedily to you at my resurrection. I will come daily to you in my Spirit; in the tokens of his love, and visits of his grace. I will come certainly at the end of time. Those only that see Christ with an eye of faith, shall see him for ever: the world sees him no more till his second coming; but his disciples have communion with him in his absence. These mysteries will be fully known in heaven. It is a further act of grace, that they should know it, and have the comfort of it. Having Christ’s commands, we must keep them. And having them in our heads, we must keep them in our hearts and lives. The surest evidence of our love to Christ is, obedience to the laws of Christ. There are spiritual tokens of Christ and his love given to all believers. Where sincere love to Christ is in the heart, there will be obedience. Love will be a commanding, constraining principle; and where love is, duty follows from a principle of gratitude. God will not only love obedient believers, but he will take pleasure in loving them, and will rest in love to them. He will be with them as his home. These privileges are confined to those whose faith worketh by love, and whose love to Jesus leads them to keep his commandments. Such are partakers of the Holy Spirit’s new-creating grace. (Henry)

There is a correlation between time spent in God’s Word in Faith, Belief, Trust, Obedience, and Reliance, and the Leading of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life expressed in love for God and others.  The key here is “Time in God’s Word”. There is too much in our lives that draws and entices us to spend more time thinking about and doing worldly and fleshly stuff. I like to listen to Christian music. It is on all the time in my car and shop. If this was all I did for growth and maturing in my Love for God and the leading of the Holy Spirit in My life, it would be a sad and very limited expression of commitment, dedication, and desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. Too often this is the case in many lives. There is limited time in His Word so they will get their dose of devotion by listening to a Christian music station.  

Nothing can replace personal time in God’s Word in our growth, understanding, and knowledge of God and godly living. Nothing.  If God’s Word was food and water for our souls, would we be wasting away and slowly dying from starvation and thirst? 

God’s Word is: 

A lamp to our path

Food for our soul

Living water

Our strength

Where we find peace, joy, hope, refuge

Instruction for righteousness

Knowledge and Understanding

How we know truth

Maturity and growth

How we discern false

How we hear the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit

How we know what is worldly and fleshly

How we grow in love for others

God’s Word should be our nutrition and food for living.  Christian music is like a vitamin to help us rejoice and worship Jesus Christ.

6.z. “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Revelation 7:9   After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

During the Tribulation period when the church is gone and the seals are open and the anger and wrath of God are upon the earth, we see God in grace and mercy reaching out.  He seals the 144,000 who are His witnesses and these who are clothed in white robes are those who have believed and been saved and died because of and during the tribulation period.  “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”  I still have to wonder how many have died during this time without believing, and in so doing, sealed their eternal destiny in hell.  Isn’t it the same today?  Rejection of Christ and finding their pleasure, satisfaction, and hope in things of this world instead of the Creator of it.  Today, the Holy Spirit of God is still present.  God’s Holy Spirit, to guide, direct, encourage open ears, open eyes, soften hearts and proclaim truth to our hearts is present.  And even though His Spirit is present we still resist and close our eyes and ears, harden our hearts, and stiffen our necks.  We resist His active presence in our lives and intentionally choose to follow what seems right in our own eyes.  We neglect His Word and desire things of this world more than humbly serving, honoring, following, obeying, and trusting in Him.  Notice how those who come through the tribulations and worship Him day and night.  They serve Him.  We do well to grow in His Word, and desire and seek to live, act, think and speak in ways that honor and glorify Him every moment of every day.

New heavens and new earth

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.”

Psalms 102:26  They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.

Isaiah 34:4     All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree.

Isaiah 66:22     “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain.

2 Peter 3:7-12     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.  But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.  Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,  waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

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.

Revelation 21:1    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.

Have you ever heard someone say “Live like there is no tomorrow”?  What are they really saying?  For some this would translate into “Party Time” and give no thought of the ramifications their actions would have on them or others.  Why not?  They assume all will end and there is nothing beyond this life.  No eternity.  No judgement. No God. No Heaven. No life after death.

For others, who believe, they may see this as so important they contact all family and friends they can, knowing they have little time, and tell them of God, eternity, judgment, life after death,  Good News of Jesus Christ, and salvation, new heaven and new earth, life eternal.  By the way this is how we ought to think – like there is no tomorrow.

There was a small book I read written by Brother Lawrence.  While he was out tending his garden the question was posed to him, “what would you do if you knew the world would end tomorrow?”.  He replied, “I would keep tending my garden.”  Brother Lawrence explained why.  He said he absolutely knew that he was doing God’s will and purpose.  He lived continually in the presence of God.  He sought nothing of his day but only to that which God was leading.  He sought to hear God’s leading and then, by faith, acted upon that.  He stayed in close contact with God through His word and in prayer.  Brother Lawrence only wanted to do what God had purposed for His life.  The world did not influence his actions, God did.  The world did not give him satisfaction, God did.  We all would do well to seek to know and understand God’s purpose for our life and then, by faith, always take action accordingly as His quiet small voice of leading is directing us.

In His presence

Psalms 100   Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!  Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!  Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!  For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

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

Psalms 66:1   Shout for joy to God, all the earth;

Psalms 66:4     All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.”

Psalms 95:1-2     Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!  Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Isaiah 24:14-16     They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west.  Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.  From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One.

Zephaniah 3:14     Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Luke 19:37     As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,

Psalms 67:4     Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.

Psalms 68:32     O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord,

God first. God only. God above self.  I read these verses and am reminded of the gene that was deleted in my birth.  I have joyfulness but if I were to sing, it certainly would not be joyful to anyone hearing it.  There were and are those who are gifted with this ability, however it is the heart, mind and sole that burst forth with joyfulness in what God has done, is doing, and will do.  Wise is the man that numbers his days and chooses to joyfully humble, honor, serve, follow and obey.  Our change is on the inside and is reflected on the outside.  Have a joyful day in our Lord and savior.