Tag: Justice

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.

 

Spirit fill me

“And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

Judges 17:6
Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Judges 21:25
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Deuteronomy 12:8
“You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you.

Proverbs 12:14
From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,
and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.

Proverbs 21:1
he king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
the lamp of the wicked, are sin.

John 16:7
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

During the time of Samson it was recorded that the people did what was right in their own eyes because there was no leadership in the ways of God.  When they had a leader who purposed and desired to follow God they had peace but when that leader and people lost focus and fell away from serving God there was punishment, exile, slavery, death, famine, floods, wars, destruction, drought, no blessing, no hope, no faith.  I am not sure we truly grasp just how much blessing we are living in since the time of Christ.  Before Christ died He told the disciples that He must go away because if He didn’t the “Helper” would not come. The Helper is the Holy Spirit and would be ever present in the world to convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.  No longer would it depend on a prophet, king, or someone else – God would be omnipresent.  We live in a time where the Spirit of God is speaking to our hearts, minds and souls to lead us on paths that glorify and honor God.  If we choose to listen and obey we find peace.  If we choose to “do what is right in our own eyes” we find unrest, hopelessness, no peace or at best temporary peace without any satisfaction.  Choose to be a vessel for God, listening to and being guided by the Holy Spirit.

Called According to His Purpose

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth

What does it mean to be called and chosen?  We are both called and chosen to be the faithful of God. This calling is from God. He places an understanding within every heart to know Him.  It says in Romans “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them”.  This calling continues through Jesus Christ  where scripture says “But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.  This is all the work of God.  Paul said “what manner of persons ought we to be given this great out pouring of Love from God”.  We do have a choice to humbly live and bring honor and glory to Him.  The choice we make  lasts for eternity.

Matthew 22:14

For many are called, but few are chosen.

Revelation 17:14
and those with him are called and chosen and faithful

Luke 18:7
And will not God give justice to his elect

Romans 1:6
including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ

Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose

Ecclesiastes 8:12
Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God

Jesus Withdrew

Jesus had just healed a man from a crippled hand and the pharisees plotted to destroy Him.  The response was not what we would expect is it?  Yet I have to wonder how many times I have seen something in my life and rejected it as NOT being done by and for the purpose of God.  I certainly do not want Jesus to withdraw from my life.  Trusting Him in our life requires that we believe in His promise – “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”  Find hope in trusting Him alone to use you for His purpose.
Matthew 12:17
Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
and in his name the Gentiles will hope

Isaiah 11:10
In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people

Romans 15:12
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope