I am He – Praying Pint

53.l. Wilderness – 17.r. “‘See now that I, even I, am He.”

Deu 32:39-41  “‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven and swear, As I live forever, if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me.

Isaiah 41:4    Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

Psalms 50:22    “Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!

Isaiah 43:13     Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?”

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.

Open your eyes and be convinced by your own sad experience what vain and impotent things. As I have no superior, so neither have I any equal. I kill and I make alive — I am the arbiter of life and death, the dispenser of prosperity and adversity, and the author of national changes and revolutions, whether in the way of mercy or judgment. We may observe that it is usual, in Scripture language, to represent extreme calamities under the notion of death, and to express happiness and prosperity by the word life. (Benson)

Whatever judgments are brought upon sinners, it shall go well with the people of God. (Henry)

I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I:heal: Christ is the sovereign disposer of life and death, of sickness and health, in a temporal sense; and in a spiritual sense he wounds and kills, by the law in the hand of his Spirit; and he heals and makes alive by his Gospel, as it is accompanied by his Spirit and grace. (Gill)

We should never become complacent and neglectful of our pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and understating of the Word of God and Things of God, or become consumed by worldly passions and the busyness of life. His Word will grow and mature us in this understanding and will be reflected in our lives to the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. He is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise!

50.v. Wilderness – 15.a. ” Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside”

Deu 11:16-21  Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you. “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

Luke 21:8    And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.

Luke 21:36   But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Hebrews 2:1    Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

Hebrews 3:12    Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Hebrews 4:1    Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.

Hebrews 12:15     See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

James 1:26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

Deuteronomy 30:17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,

God had to warn Israel against the deceptions of prosperity. The person who turns from God in prosperity is simply deceived. They believe they are somehow responsible for the blessings received and become proud and self-reliant. The constant need for rain kept Israel in constant dependence on the LORD. It is good for us to have things that keep us in constant dependence on the LORD. We should never despise those things and long for the day when we will no longer need to depend on God as much.

God called Israel to not only read the Word of God and to know the Word of God, but to treasure it. In the same way, we should love God’s word and miss it when we are separated from the Word of God. We should call it to mind with longing, having laid it up in our heart and soul. God’s Word was to be the topic of their conversation. We can fairly measure our love for God’s word by how much we will talk about it with others. God doesn’t want us to have a secret love relationship with His word. (Guzik)

But if, on the other hand, their heart was foolish to turn away from the Lord and serve other gods, the wrath of the Lord would burn against them, and God would shut up the heaven, that no rain should fall and the earth should yield no produce, and they would speedily perish. Let them therefore impress the words now set before them very deeply upon themselves and their children. “The promise to give the land to Israel for ever was not made unconditionally.” (Keil)

There are many things that can draw us away from God, doing things for God, studying God’s Word, trusting and relying upon God, and seeking and following after God. Nothing more so than that which pulled Sodom away. (Ezekiel 16:49) “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.” In prosperity and ease of life, they abandoned God and followed after the lusts of the flesh. They no longer saw the need for God or a reason to worship Him. They had a good life. Their land prospered, they had plenty of food, and they had money. In this they became arrogant, greedy, and lovers of the lusts of the flesh.

We live in such a time as this and must study God’s Word, examine our hearts and minds, and seek wisdom from God to discern right from wrong and good from bad to ensure that we are not pulled into it. Pornography is called and defended as “Adult entertainment” and this world calls it the right of an individual to gaze upon it. Abortion is called and defended as “Women’s Right to Choose” and this world calls it an inherent right of all women. LGBQT is called and defended as an “Alternative lifestyle” and proclaims it “hate speech” to address it as sin. Divorce is deemed a fact of life for at least 25% of marriages. Sex outside of marriage is deemed a natural occurrence and accepted. What Celebrities from sports and movies say and do are given more credence than the Word of God. The “Rich” are deemed a “self-made” man/woman. They are sought after to find their secrets to success. Elected officials are followed after and every word is trusted or rejected depending on the party affiliation. Social and News Media outlets are followed and trusted as truth on any given subject. YouTube influencers make a living off of trying to influence you to do or buy something or think some way. Sports are supported and followed more than the Word of God and things of God. People know team and player stats, and what politicians say and promise more than they know the Word of God. Physicians treat symptoms rather than finding the source of the problem. Obesity is rampant. Drug use is a problem. Assault crimes are common. Confusion, anxiousness, fear, anger, pride, arrogance, boastfulness, greed, etc…… are common.

We are to live in this world and all it has to offer without being influenced by it or joining in it. How long will God’s wrath against such depravity be withheld? Far too many Christians, I fear, have already chosen to live as close to this world as they can. They talk sports, news, politics, and weather more than they speak the Word of God. What would happen to their thinking if they shut off the TV, Sports, and Social Media in their homes?

Think about it. What life change or decision today is made from spending time in these areas of worldly influence? Where do you think confusion, anxiousness, fear, anger, pride, arrogance, boastfulness, greed, etc…… come from? Can you even discern they’re the source of these in your lives? Do you care? Is your heart sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading? Can you even discern the Holy Spirit’s conviction, encouragement, or teaching? It is never too late to repent and turn away from the influences of this world in your lives.

The hymn “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conqu’rors we are!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

15.p. “I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

John 5:30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 14:10    Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

John 8:42     Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.

John 8:28     So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

Psalms 40:7-8    Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me:  I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

John 4:34     Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

Psalms 96:13    before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Isaiah 11:3-4    And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,  but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Romans 2:5    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.

Jesus explained that He is qualified as a completely righteous judge because His power is in submission too and to do the will of God the Father. How much of our day(s) do we do our will without a single thought too doing the will of God? I am certain there are those who believe there is God or a god but give no thought to having a personal relationship with Him. There are fewer who believe Jesus Christ was the Son of God and even of these there are many who give no thought to having a personal relationship with Him. If we are to come to the Father we must come through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Here is the difference between these and those who have had a personal relationship with the Son and the Father. Those who believe trust in, cling too and rely on Jesus Christ. They are aware of sin, their sin, and the Holiness of the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Father, God. In this awareness, they seek to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. In this awareness, they have an understanding that has been given to them by and through Jesus Christ. In this awareness, they have intentionally chosen to seek this relationship and believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this awareness, they have sought forgiveness, repented of their sin, and believed in salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ. There is more than just head knowledge. The difference is that they personally know Jesus Christ rather than knowledge of Him. They have made an intentional choice to surrender, serve, listen, follow, yield, trust, obey, honor, and glorify Jesus Christ. They do not seek their own will but continually seek to do the will of Jesus Christ every day. They do not seek to honor themselves.

Judgment is coming and the wrath of God is being stored up against all who reject Jesus Christ. Today we are closer to this coming judgment than before. The warning has been given that this judgment is coming. The warning has been given that all who reject Jesus Christ will go to hell and be tormented forever and ever in eternity. It is out of love that God sends these warnings. “For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that whosoever believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” “But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”

Knowing of Jesus Christ will never result in repentance or trust. Knowing Jesus Christ will. Behold, He stands at the door of your heart, knocking. Open that door and allow Him in.

15.f. “You worship what you do not know”

John 4:16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

“Christ has different doors for entering into different people’s souls. Into some, he enters by the understanding; into many, by the affections. To some, he comes by the way of fear; to another, by that of hope; and to this woman, he came by way of her conscience.” (Spurgeon) Jesus brought up this embarrassing issue because her sinful life had to be confronted. This woman had to decide what she loved more: her sin or the Messiah. One scholar, (Alford) wrote something interesting. Alford said the first step in granting the request of the woman for the living water, Jesus had to first confront and convince her of sin. What did the woman do when Jesus brought to her attention that she was living in sin with a man who was not her husband? She tried to change the subject and change the focus of their discussion. This is so true with us too. When we read something in scripture that speaks to our soul about sin in our life we try to change the meaning or convince ourselves that what we read was not really speaking to us personally. Though this woman was a sinner, Jesus revealed Himself to her. Jesus reveals Himself to sinners. God’s Word reveals “sin” and “understanding” to the hearts and minds of those who are open. Though they may be in the act of sinning or harboring sin in their lives, God’s Word will reveal it. I wonder how many times I have been deaf and blind to sin in my life when I read or listen to His Word. Do I read it and let it fall on a closed mind? To worship God in “Truth” means we do not come to Him and His Word with pretense or mere display of spirituality. When we read God’s Word we will do well to read it with this verse from David in Psalms 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

5.w. But you are the same, and your years have no end.

Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come,

Exodus 3:14    God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Psalms 90:2    Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Psalms 102:25-27     Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.  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.

Isaiah 41:4     Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

Hebrews 1:10-13     And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;  they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,  like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”  And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

Hebrews 13:8    Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

James 1:17     Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

We all change in some way or another. We make up our minds and then learn something new and we change it. We have a great love for someone and then something happens and we change how we feel about them. We have friends who come into our lives and then for some reason or another, our connection to them changes. We make decisions and say we will stand firm on them and change our stance. We design a home or some other project only to find that we would make changes because of what something we missed. The fact of the matter is that we change and there is variation in what we think and do. Our stance changes, our firmness changes, our commitments change, and our love changes. Do we ever wonder if God is like this? Do we even have a concept of a never-changing God, who was, is, and is to come. The “I AM”. The same yesterday, today, and forever? The One who there is no variation. The first and the last.

We do well to remember our unchanging God and walk worthy of who He is. Our God is never changing. Always loving with outstretched arms. Always offering grace, mercy, and Love. Always wanting us to open the door to our heart to Him. All things are in and of Him alone.

5.s. “Are the comforts of God too small for you?”

Job 15:11 Are the comforts of God too small for you, or the word that deals gently with you?

2 Corinthians 1:3-5    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.  For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

Isaiah 51:12    “I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass,

Psalms 34:2-6    My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.  Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!  I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.  Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.  This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

John 14:18     “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:16     And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,

John 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.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17     Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,  comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

Asking the question, “Are the comforts of God too small for you?” is good of us to ask of ourselves. Too often we are not content with God supplied comforts or of His word that deals gently with us. Too often we are not content with the “Helper”, “Holy Spirit” because we have closed our hearts and mind to Him. We find that yielding to the leading of the Holy Spirit is lacking in our daily life and wonder what it even means to be lead by the Holy Spirit. One reason we may not hear the leading of the Holy Spirit is that we have not cultivated an ear to hear Him speak into our lives. We can certainly seek and desire to have this leading but being actively listening requires an intentional choice to not only hear but to be willingly going where and doing what the Holy Spirit is leading us. Another reason why we may not hear the leading of the Holy Spirit is that we are not willing to wait for this leading and we move forward in our own strength, power, and wisdom. When we do this we leave no room for God’s will to be done but rather what our will expects to be done. Another reason why we may not hear the leading of the Holy Spirit is that we are complacently walking in sin.

Whatever the reason for walking apart from the leading of the Holy Spirit there will always be the consequences of lacking power, faith, joy, peace, love, generosity, courage, faith, and hope in our life. In this lacking, we will find ourselves being content with worldly things and allowing them to bring meaningless meaning to our lives. “Are the comforts of God too small for you”

“and the Rock was Christ.”

“and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,”

Psalms 95:1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Psalms 89:26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

Deuteronomy 32:15 “But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.

2 Samuel 22:47 “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,

Job 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

Deuteronomy 32:39-40 “‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me;

John 5:22-29 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Sometimes it is just hard to keep our head on straight and remember our redeemer and rock lives. He is very much alive and very much able to be the rock we can find refuge. Having this rock and relying on it are not the same thing. Too many times we walk into situations on our own without a thought of making sure we are wrapped in the arms of our savior. It is in these times we find ourselves lost and at odds with what we are face with. The next time you are going into to any situation make sure it is with the presence of Jesus Christ. From recent experience I know it is not good to get so wrapped up in the issue you before you that you walk alone without thinking about praising and relying on Him. I guess this today is more of me speaking to myself than sharing with you. He lives and is more than able to keep us safe and secure and calm and kind and respectful.

Chosen, Planted, Rooted, Living Water

“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.”

“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.”

Psalms 92:12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Isaiah 65:22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

Romans 11:17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,

Isaiah 61:3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Psalms 71:18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

Job 17:9 Yet the righteous holds to his way, and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger

Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

Isaiah 46:4 even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.

Jeremiah 17:8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Psalms 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Philippians 1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Chosen by God and planted and rooted by living water bearing fruit into an old age. Being planted and rooted by living water does not secure us. Scripture also says that the axe is laid to the root of the trees that does not bear fruit. God has planted but how do we get watered? Through His word. If there is little to no fruit there is a very good chance there is little to no Living Water. Notice, in the scripture above, all of that which is an outcome of being planted, rooted and supplied living water for growth. Fruit in our lives. We see purpose in our lives. This living water gives us hope, joy, patience, gladness, kindness, peace and gentleness. This living water still nourishes us during times of heat and drought. When Christ met and spoke with the Samaritan woman by the well he said “I will give you living water from which you will never thirst again”. We need to be mindful of the fact that when eyes to heart and mind thirst for things of this world more than this living water we will always be thirsty for more. Drink daily from the Living Water.

There is no God but Me

“I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God”

Hosea 13:3
But I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me,
and besides me there is no savior.
It was I who knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought;
but when they had grazed, they became full,
they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
therefore they forgot me.
So I am to them like a lion;
like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs;
I will tear open their breast,
and there I will devour them like a lion,
as a wild beast would rip them open.

Isaiah 43:11
I, I am the Lord,
and besides me there is no savior.
I declared and saved and proclaimed,
when there was no strange god among you;
and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.
Also henceforth I am he;
there is none who can deliver from my hand;
I work, and who can turn it back?”

Exodus 20:3
“You shall have no other gods before me.”

Isaiah 45:21
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none besides me.

Deuteronomy 8:12
I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God.

Doesn’t this seem to be a reoccurring theme? Trouble – Seeking God – God saving – Serving God – Blessed by God – Forgetting God – Trouble. How many times do we need to hear this from scripture and are convicted to examine our lives in light of His word? It seems mankind is content on only serving God after there is an event bringing trials into their lives. Where does our lives and commitment line up to what God expects in light of “Love me with all your heart, mind, and soul.” “Desire me.” “Serve me.” “Seek me.” “Honor me.” “Glorify me.” “Worship me.” “Love me.” “Praise me.” “Walk humbly before me.” “Pray to me.” “Give to others for me.” “Be kind to others for me.” “Be generous to others for me.” “Be patient with others for me.” “Take care of widows for me.” “Love others for me.” “Take care of orphans for me.” “Encourage others for me.” “Make disciples for me.” “Tell others about me.” “Trust me.” “Rely on me.” “Cling to me.” “Believe in me.” “Seek to know and understand me.” It does not take a quantum theorist to figure this out. If we choose to spend time in His word with a passion to desire to know and understand Him, and do all of these and more for the single purpose of honoring and glorifying God with all our heart mind and soul – the world around us will grow very dim as He becomes our everything.