Tag: Love him

50.a. Wilderness – 14.g. “Oh that they had such a heart as this always”

 

Deu 6:13-16  It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.

 Deuteronomy 5:29    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!

 Deuteronomy 10:12     “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

 Deuteronomy 13:4    You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

When we do this, the idea is not of a shrinking fear from an angry God. Instead, the idea of fear is more in the concept of an awe-filled respect, an inner repulsion at the idea of offending such a great, loving God who has done so much for us. (Guzik)

Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him,…. Serve him through fear; not through slavish fear, a fear of hell and damnation; but through filial fear, a reverential affection for that God that had brought them out of a state of bondage into great and glorious liberty, out of Egypt into Canaan’s land, out of a place of misery into a land of plenty; and therefore should fear the Lord and his goodness, and from such a fear of him serve him, in every part of worship, public and private, enjoined. (Henry)

Do you ever wonder what it is that keeps you from a walk with God like this? Imagine if we would wake every morning with a  single thought of how we might worship, praise, thank, honor, and glorify Him through every thought, word spoken, and action. Wouldn’t our lives find joy in all of the turmoil and chaos so prevalent today?

Matt 24:12 And because of the abundance of evil, the love of many will grow cold. 

You can see it at every level of society; hate, anger, fear, lawlessness, calling good bad and bad good, denying and rejecting the Word of God and things of God, pride, self-worth, self-reliance, greed, jealousy, etc……

Let your heart be fixed and your stance firm in your service and devotion to God. For most, it will not look like what you are doing right now.

30.p. “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

 

Matthew 5:2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 Job 42:6  therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

 Psalms 34:18    The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

 Proverbs 16:19    It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.

 Psalms 51:17    The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

 Isaiah 66:2   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.

 Proverbs 29:23   One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

 James 2:5   Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

Jesus had been teaching and healing every disease and demon possession. There were multitudes following Him and he goes up onto a mountain, sits down, the disciples come, and begins to teach them. We know this first part of the teaching to be the beatitudes. Someone has said that it is more like “Be – Attitudes” the attitudes every believer should “be.” It has been said if you took all the good advice for how to live ever uttered by any philosopher or psychiatrist or counselor, took out the foolishness and boiled it all down to the real essentials, you would be left with a poor imitation of this great message by Jesus. It expresses the spiritual implications of the rule of Jesus in our lives and tells us how we will live when Jesus is our Lord. All of these character traits are marks and goals of all Christians. It is not as if we can major in one to the exclusion of others. Blessings which have its secret within itself, that joy which is serene and untouchable, and self-contained, that joy which is completely independent of all the chances and changes of life.” (Barclay)  “Note, also, with delight, that the blessing is in every case in the present tense, a happiness to be now enjoyed and delighted in. It is not ‘Blessed shall be,’ but ‘Blessed are.’” (Spurgeon)

The poor in spirit recognize that they have no spiritual “assets.” They know they are spiritually bankrupt. “Not what I have, but what I have not, is the first point of contact, between my soul and God.” The call to be poor in spirit is placed first for a reason, because it puts the following commands into perspective. They cannot be fulfilled by one’s own strength, but only by a beggar’s reliance on God’s power. No one mourns until they are poor in spirit; no one is meek towards others until he has a humble view of himself. If you don’t sense your own need and poverty, you will never hunger and thirst after righteousness; and if you have too high a view of yourself, you will find it difficult to be in need of salvation through Jesus Christ. If we were to be able to examine our souls in light of the holiness of God we would find our hearts so far removed from God that our only true response would be an attitude poor in spirit. We would see the huge difference and no possible means to gain it. We would be left void of any self-reliance and worth. All of our earthly treasures would vanish away in meaningless vapors. It is when we come to this “poor in spirit” in our lives that we begin to understand the mystery of salvation and the need for redemption. 

19.k. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Romans 5:3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:2-3  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

Hebrews 12:11  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Romans 15:4  For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

We can glory in tribulations (literally, stresses) because they are the occasion to produce perseverance (endurance).  Spurgeon said it something like this; “A Christian should expect and know trials and troubles come to them as well as the unsaved.”  Our faith untested by troubles and trials is much like a runner who never trains for the race.  All of his ability is in his mind, and when the race begins he is quickly unable to continue.  

“Whatever virtues tribulation finds us in, it develops more fully. If anyone is carnal, weak, blind, wicked, irascible, haughty, and so forth, tribulation will make him more carnal, weak, blind, wicked, and irritable. On the other hand, if one is spiritual, strong, wise, pious, gentle and humble, he will become more spiritual, powerful, wise, pious, gentle and humble.” (Martin Luther)  

“‘Tribulation worketh patience,’ says the apostle. Naturally it is not so. Tribulation worketh impatience, and impatience misses the fruit of experience, and sours into hopelessness. Ask many who have buried a dear child, or have lost their wealth, or have suffered pain of body, and they will tell you that the natural result of affliction is to produce irritation against providence, rebellion against God, questioning, unbelief, bad-tempered, and all sorts of evils. But what a wonderful alteration takes place when the heart is renewed by the Holy Spirit!” (Spurgeon)

More than likely we would rather have God just sprinkle perseverance and character and hope on us as we sleep. We could wake up a much better Christian! But that isn’t God’s plan for us or for any Christian.

“Lord, I won’t seek trials and search out tribulation, but I won’t despise them or lose hope when they come. I trust Your love in everything You allow. I surrender to Your perfect will, plan, and purpose for and in my life.  You are my God and I trust You for you are my rock, refuge, and fortress whatever the trials or troubles are.”

8.p. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth

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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Isaiah 65:17-19    “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.  I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.

2 Peter 3:13     But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

John 14:23    Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Ezekiel 37:27    My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

We hear people speak of heaven as the final resting place of those who die.  This is true for those who believe, (rely on, cling to, and trust in) repent, (acknowledge and turn away from their sinful nature) and by faith live with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength committed to obey, follow, and humbly serve to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all they think, do, and say.  What is not going to ring true is the thoughts of many who live shallow lives, giving no more than a passing thought, if that, about what it means to humbly serve, honor, follow, trust, and obey Jesus Christ each moment of every day.  Their hearts and minds, have been seduced by lies of this world into believing they are good enough and as such have done what is required to “deserve” eternal life in the “New Heaven and New Earth”.  They do not see that they have all but taken the “Mark of the Beast” in how they live, think, and follow the ways of this world.  They have adopted it into their make-believe “Christian” lives as what they believe it means is to be a “Christian”. There is no difference in their heart.  There is no desire and seeking to hear the whispers of God speak into and lead them through each day.  They may know of Him but they certainly do not know Him as savior, redeemer, and forgiver of their sins in a personal and heart and soul-deep way.  The New Heaven and New Earth are not prepared for these.  The New Heaven and New Earth are prepared for those who believe and anticipate it’s coming with expectant and rejoicing heart, mind, and soul.  It is prepared for those who long for the return of Jesus Christ with a humble, grateful, and thankful heart and an end to sin in both their heart and the world.

6.l. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door

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. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Luke 12:36    and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.

John 14:21-23    Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Notes from Reggie A. Braziel: Who is that is standing at the door of the human heart?  It is JESUS CHRIST who stands at the door of our heart and knocks. Its not the preacher. Its not the pope. Its not the president. It is JESUS CHRIST, the Son of the living GOD.  It is the DIVINE One knocking on the door of the HUMAN.  It is the SINLESS One knocking on the door the SINFUL .  It is the INNOCENT One knocking on the door of the GUILTY.

Many have believed this is a picture of Christ knocking on the heart’s door of the unsaved wanting to come in and bring salvation. But we must remember these verses in their proper context. Jesus spoke these words at the end of His letter to the “lukewarm” Church at Laodicea. So it isn’t the heart’s door of unbelievers Jesus is standing at, its the heart’s door of lukewarm , self-sufficient Christians.

You and I are “the keepers of our own heart’s door.” We decide who we will let into our heart and who we will keep out. We decide who we will accept into our heart as a friend and who we will reject as an enemy or a stranger.  Jesus wants “full access” to our heart, not some of it, not most of it, He wants access to all of our heart. He wants to be our LORD…….and our KING……and our VERY BEST FRIEND. But how much access He has to your heart and mine is entirely dependent upon us.

Jesus is pleading for our attention! He is pleading for us to “Hear His voice!” How do we hear the voice of Christ? Does He speak to us audibly? Does He speak to us through signs? How do we hear His voice? We hear His voice through THE HOLY SPIRIT who communicates to us through the word of GOD.  Do you ever struggle with a sense of dissatisfaction in your spiritual life as though you aren’t where you ought to be in your walk with Christ? Do you ever get the sense that you are stuck in a spiritual wilderness and your Christianity has become dry and barren? Do you ever come under the conviction that your life isn’t as “fruitful” and “productive” as it ought to be? Do you ever come under the conviction that Christ is calling you into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him?

Hearing is NOT enough! There must also be ACTION.  Jesus will never barge through the door to your heart.  You must listen, open, and invite Him in.  The life of a Christian without desiring Christ in your heart, mind, and soul results in a lukewarm life that is not worthy of the price that was paid for your sin.

4.e. “Separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers”

Nehemiah 9:1   Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God.

Leviticus 26:39-40    And those of you who are left shall rot away in your enemies’ lands because of their iniquity, and also because of the iniquities of their fathers they shall rot away like them.  “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me,

Psalms 106:6-7    Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.  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.

Daniel 9:3-10     Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.  I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,  we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.  We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.  To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.  To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.  To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him  and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

1 John 1:7-9    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.  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

When we come to God’s word with a desire to know Him and gain understanding and wisdom we will become aware of His Holiness and our sinfulness.  We will see self-centered sin.  We will see worldly sin.  We will see how far we have departed from honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ. God’s word will become vital and active in our life.  We will see the need for confession and change.  We will no longer be blind to His handiwork or deaf to His leading.  We will be changed and our lives will be changed because we will know the truth of our sinfulness and the steadfast grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ.  It is in this truth that we confess and rely on forgiveness.  It is in this truth we are being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is in this truth we can come before God in confession and thanksgiving.

196. “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.”

2 Kings 23:1  Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.

Exodus 24:3     Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.”

Joshua 24:24     And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”

Deuteronomy 10:12    “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

Deuteronomy 8:19    And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.

After some 70+ years, the word of God is read to all the people.  This would mean an entire generation had never heard it read.  They may have heard some speak about it but never read.  The laws, the covenant, the warnings, the power and might of God, and expectations/promises were read out loud.  King Josiah called all of the people together to hear it and upon hearing it Josiah made a public covenant before the Lord and all the people to walk after the Lord and to keep His commandments, testimonies, and statutes with all his heart and soul.

When our heart opens up to God’s word our mind and soul are moved to action.  When our heart is open, our eyes will no longer be blind to see and our ears will no longer be deaf to hear the Holy Spirit of God speaking, leading, guiding, encouraging, strengthening, empowering, and the love of God towards those who come to Him with their whole heart, mind, and soul.

169. Pro-Choice

Revelations 3:20  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,

John 14:23  Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him.

Luke 12:37  Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching:

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.…

I recently saw a posting that said “Just because I am Pro-Choice does not mean I am Pro-Abortion.  It means I understand your choice is none of my business, and I will always fight for your right to choose”  I wonder if this logic holds true for incest of children or physical/mental abuse of children.  Aren’t these parents just choosing what to do with their child?  If a neighbor, friend, or relative knew of incest or other physical abuse and did not report it or did not try to stop it they would be considered cowards and outcasts for doing nothing.  We have laws that protect children from these abuses so people are prone to step up and report or intercede in other ways for the children.  Does it make sense then that life in the womb should not also be protected with the same moral/ethical cultural code?  Pro-Choice is how progressive societies handle the murder of unborn children and feel good about themselves by saying it is your choice so I am stepping out of this one.  I wonder if a person who is choosing to impact change on the laws concerning abortion would have the same support from the Pro-choice group.  Would the Pro-choice group say it is none of their business?  Or would they say it is none of my business?  You see how this plays out, don’t you?  Is Pro-choice only for those choosing abortion and not for those who are choosing to protect the life of the unborn?

If you were given an opportunity to choose and had means to affect the outcome of a parent about ready to commit sexual abuse on their child would you say “Pro-Choice” – none of my business, or would you affect the outcome by stopping it?  If you came into a culture where it was legal and condoned to sexually abuse children would you stand by and say “Pro-Choice” – none of my business or would to try to impact change to the laws and the moral convictions of the people?  Would you say this is not about “Pro-Choice” it is about sexually abusing children?  What if that culture said it was ok to pick and choose what children should live or die based on convenience, or financial need, or mistake………or whatever, would you still think this is about “Pro-Choice” or would you say this is about murdering innocent children?  How can we as a society come to a place in our thinking that we say one thing inside the womb “Pro-Choice” and another on the outside of the womb?

God is all about pro-choice.  He gives everyone the choice to believe in Jesus Christ or not. He says that if we choose Him He will never leave us or forsake us.  He says if we choose Him He will be our rock, refuge, strength, hope, and everlasting Father.  He gives everyone the choice to receive His grace, mercy, and love or not.  He gives everyone the choice to confess, repent, and become a humble servant.  He gives everyone the choice to honor, follow, trust, and obey Him.  He gives everyone the choice to commit to follow and love Him more than the world and what it has to offer.  He gives everyone the choice to read His word and desire to know and understand Him more.  He gives everyone the choice to choose to do good.  He gives everyone the choice to listen for Him speaking to their heart.  He gives everyone the choice to choose to be kind, forgiving, generous, peaceful, truthful, joyful……..  He gives everyone the choice to choose and lets them know if they choose wrong (rejecting His Son) they will be judged and condemned to torment for eternity.  He gives everyone the choice to choose to open the door to their heart and soul to Him.   

Turning a blind eye and deaf ear to God’s choice(s) will ultimately allow society to form thoughts that see no wrong in killing the unborn.  Tolerance to this injustice in the name of “Pro-Choice” is absurd!

47. What does the LORD require of you

Deuteronomy 10:12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God,

Jeremiah 7:22-23  But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’

Micah 6:8  He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Matthew 11:29-30  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

1 John 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Obey my voice!  Serve God with all your heart and soul.  Keep His commandments.  Be no longer stubborn. Walk in the way that I command you. Walk humbly with God.

What does it mean to serve Him with all your heart and soul, to keep His commandments, to be no longer stubborn, and to walk humbly?  I am certain it will require emptying oneself of what is more precious and consuming time in their heart, mind, and soul.  During Christmas, we hear of how there was no room in the inn for Mary to give birth.  It seems to ring true today with no room in our busyness for Jesus to reign fully.  Making room would indicate that something has to be purposely moved out.   What is consuming your heart and soul leaving no room for Jesus?

We can say we are doing all we can with the busyness of our life, family, job, etc…. By saying we are doing all we can means we have intentionally chosen to give our time (heart, soul, mind) to something else.  We choose to believe we are doing what God wants for us to do.  How can that be true if Jesus is not #1 in our heart?  How can that be true if we give His word nothing more than a glance every once in a while?

In Joshua 22:5   It says, “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”  In Psalms 81:13    it says, “Oh, that my people would listen to me”.   In Titus 2:11-12   it says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age”

There has been no other time in history where God’s word has been so readily available.  There has never in history been so much neglect of His word than what is presently being done.  Never in history has there been this much complacent behavior by those supposedly called by His name.  Our lives should not and do not have to be like this.  We aren’t forced into it.  We choose it to be this way.

We can choose to not be this way.  We can choose to repent, confess, return and commit to humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying God.  We can start by intentionally committing to reading His word each day.  We can intentionally seek and desire for Him to lead us closer to Him through more understanding and knowledge of Him and what it means to give Him all our heart, mind, and soul.

38. The refining process – Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial

Numbers 2:7  For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”

Job 23:10  But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my

Psalms 139:1  O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.

Zachariah 14:9   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.’”

1 Peter 1:6  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him.

James 1:12  Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Revelation 3:19  Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 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.

God knows our life inside out, what we think, what we do, where we go and He still loves us.  In this love, He will not condone sin.  He will not approve of that which is in our life that does not honor and glorify Him.  He will not bless our sin.  He will not lead us into sin.

He will test us. He will reprove our sin. He will expose our sin.  He will discipline us for sin.  He will convict our soul of sin. He will refine us. He will guide us.  He will lead us to a choice of repentance and stand at our heart’s door ready to take us in His loving arms.

Do we see “testing”, “refining”, and “discipline”  from God as a blessing?  Can we recognize His calling us out of our sin? Are we able to hear His calling?  If we hear His calling are we willing to open the door of our heart, soul, and mind and invite Him in? Do we live with anticipation of conviction, refining, confession, and forgiveness?

God has called us to holy humbleness service.  This side of eternity our life is a blessed refining process resulting in praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

If we choose to be complacent in our walk with Him and neglect time in His word seeking knowledge and understanding, how are we to escape punishment and curse?  Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind is an intentional commitment that fully wants only to honor and glorify God in all that is thought, said, and done.  This intentional commitment lives with anticipation of wanting and being refined.  David said it like this: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.