Tag: Put to shame

52.l. Wilderness – 16.r. ” If you are willing and obedient”

 

 

Deu 28:1  “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

 Psalms 106:3   Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!

 Isaiah 1:19     If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

 Isaiah 3:10    Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.

 Isaiah 55:2-3   Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

 Luke 11:28    But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

 Exodus 15:26     saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”

 Psalms 119:6    Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

 Psalms 119:128    Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way.

“If you faithfully obey the voice of God and being careful to do”. To faithfully obey and being careful to do one must know what to obey, in part and in detail, so that they can be careful and attentive to do it. Knowing and wanting to know what God expects and is honored and glorified in and by us requires us to seek it out with a heart that desires it. This desire comes out of the heart and mind. If there is no desire or weak desire there will be no need to be careful. How many people want just enough of the Gospel to convince them of salvation but have no desire to know and grow deeper in understanding the knowledge of God’s grace, mercy, and love? 

God’s Word says of these people “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.”

Desiring to honor and glorify God stems from the heart of man seeking to know and understand the Word of God and things of God. Being ignorant due to neglect is clearly a witness to the desire of the heart. We can come up with all kinds of excuses and reasons for the neglect. “I just don’t have time”, “I’m so busy”, “I just don’t understand when I read it”, “I don’t have time so I listen to Christian music all day”, “I go to church on Sunday”, “I’m to slow to understand”, “I’m so tired I just can’t find the time either in the morning or evening”, “I listen to my conscious and trust the Holy Spirit will lead me”, etc…..

When have you ever made the excuse to not do something so that you could spend time in God’s Word?

When has the desire in your heart to honor and glorify God been so overwhelming that you hungered and thirsted for the Word of God?

The promises of God contain both blessings and curses, mercy and wrath, and love and anger. They are in relationship to the person’s heart, mind, and soul desiring Him or not.  

There is no excuse for ignorance due to neglect and allowing the busyness of life to rule over you. 

Determine to set your heart and mind to know God through His Word.

4.z. They are ashamed because they were confident

Job 6:20   They are ashamed because they were confident; they come there and are disappointed.

Jeremiah 17:13     O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.

Isaiah 45:16-17   All of them are put to shame and confounded; the makers of idols go in confusion together.  But Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity.

Romans 5:5    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.

Romans 9:33    as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

There is a hope that drives people into confidence.  Depending on what this hope is will lead a person to eternity with God or eternity apart from God.  The difference is where their hope is. If their hope is in Jesus Christ and their heart desire is to honor, serve, follow, trust, and obey Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength all the days of their life, Eternity with God is promised.  If their hope is in or on anything else they will spend eternity in Hell apart from God and in torment.

The problem with confidence is that it can blind us to things of God.  It places other things in front of or in place of God.  You can be confident in a lie because you do not seek out the truth.  You can be confident in something that is not of God because you have chosen to turn a deaf ear and blind eye to Him.  You can be confident in a lukewarm, neglectful, and complacent life of service to God because things of this world have captured your heart.  “They are ashamed because they were confident.”  The Gospel of Jesus Christ leaves no room for our confidence to be in or on anything else.  Yet, we live like this, don’t we?  We desire and chase after things of this world that will not last and do not strengthen our walk with Jesus or mature us in knowledge and understanding of Him.  In this chasing, we water the flame of hope in Jesus Christ to something less than a spark from an ember.  The world has a way to entice and draw our hope away from Jesus Christ.  It tries to get us to place our hope in other stuff, activities, and shiny things of this world.

When our hope is in Jesus Christ we will find peace, rest, joy, strength, courage, and love.  We will never be ashamed.  We will have confidence in Him who has promised great things to those who trust in, rely on, and cling to Him.

3.t. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great

Ezra 8:24   Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them. And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered. I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold, 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold. And I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers. Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the Lord.” So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way. We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days. On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.

Job 5:19-24    He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you.  In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.  You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes.  At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth.  For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.  You shall know that your tent is at peace, and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.

Acts 26:22   To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great,

Isaiah 41:10-14    fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.  You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.  For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”  Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Psalms 91:9-14    Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge—  no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.  On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.  You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.  “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.

Do you ever think about the hand of God being on you?  Do you know when you have been delivered from a potential attack of sickness, financial, physical, or relational harm?  Do you know it was by the hand of God?  How can you know?  Being aware of obvious, in your face, confrontation is one thing but how about those times when there are no attacks, physical or emotional, in your life?  Do you immediately think about God’s hand being on and over you?  Do you realize this at all?

Being aware of God’s hand should be the first thing on our mind but all too often the busyness of life and our lack of commitment result in our thinking that either we are very lucky or that of pride in thinking that in our own great wisdom and knowledge we were able to affect the outcomes in our lives in ways only the hand of God could produce.  You see when our time in His word is limited so is our thoughts on it and on Him.  When our time in His word is neglected so is our mind’s eye being able to see and reflect on the awesome steadfast love, power, and blessings from God.  When our time in His word is more of a burden than living water then our eyes become blind to see the hand of God at work in our lives.

The lukewarm, neglectful, complacent, and self-satisfied will never see the hand of God at work in their lives.  They will not know how to humbly serve, honor, glorify, worship, praise, follow, trust, and obey Him.  This can only happen when our whole heart, mind, and soul are turned to and committed to and rely on, cling to, and trust in Him.  This is not a part-time commitment.  It is every day, every moment intentional choice.  Make this commitment, be in His word continually and meditate on it and have it open the eyes to your heart and mind to see the awesome steadfast love and mighty hand of God in your life.

Eye’s Open

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Psalms 27:3  Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

Psalms 52:2  Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day. Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah  The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

2 Kings 6:15-17   When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”  He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

2 Chronicles 20:15   And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.

Isaiah 41:11-12   Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.  You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.

Isaiah 54:16-17  Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy;  no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”

Awesome words of encouragement for us today.  Time after time God has seen to it that these words are recorded to give us hope in times of our trials.  The battles we face are His.  Yet do we believe this or do we try to go it alone and in our own strength?  Look at the warning also given to those who trust in themselves and give no thought to or about God. “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”  We have a place of refuge in God.  We have a place of strength in God.  We have a place of hope in God.  Why is it we always seem to try it on and in our own strength.  How many times do we need to fail in these attempts before we choose God to be the first place we run to?  From my own experience I am not sure I have learned this fully.  There are times my first response is to hit it head on alone.  Oh that we would first run to the one who is able – God!

Precept upon Precept

“And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken”

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

 

Psalms 9:15
The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

Psalms 7:15
He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.

Psalms 35:8
Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction!

Proverbs 5:22
The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.

Proverbs 22:8
Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.

Proverbs 6:2
if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, and save yourself

Proverbs 12:13  An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble

Isaiah 28:13
And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Psalms 83:17-18
Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.

Our Christian walk is either getting closer to God day by day or getting further away day by day.  There appears to be no ground where we can stand that isn’t on the path of one or the other.  Both paths have something in common, they both have a single time point where there is a step closer or a set away.  I like what is said in Isaiah: “And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little”.  Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little there a little are exactly the steps taken in either walking on a path closer to God or one that is moving away.  Do you want to have a clue on what path or direction your on?  Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks – what is it that comes out of your mouth most of the time?  What are the thoughts that roam around in your head?  Do you find opportunity to speak God into the lives around you?  Does His word come to you while you are listening to songs or driving or listening to others speak?  Start a new day – purpose to read 5 min of His word each morning and let the beginning of “Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little guide your path from here to that time when time on this world nears it’s end and eternity is knocking at your door step.

Daily Choice

“I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”

Hosea 10:3
For now they will say:
“We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord;
and a king—what could he do for us?”
They utter mere words;
with empty oaths they make covenants;
so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds
in the furrows of the field.
The inhabitants of Samaria tremble
for the calf of Beth-aven.
Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—
those who rejoiced over it and over its glory—
for it has departed from them.
The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria
as tribute to the great king.
Ephraim shall be put to shame,
and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

1 Samuel 12:12
And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes.

Gideon 8:23
Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”

What does it mean the Lord will rule over you?  In Samuel there seems to be a choice we make – “If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well.”  The choice to fear Him, serve Him, obey Him, and to follow Him each of us will make every second of the day.  Hosea says those who choose to do what is right in their own eyes will have judgements that spring up like poisonous weeds on those who make choices with words rather than their heart.  Some will die in this choice and others will see what they have done and will be ashamed. In James it is stated something like this – “you say you have faith, but I say your works should demonstrate this faith for faith without works is meaningless.”  Is it easy to determine what choice has been made – or what  is the desire of your heart?  Is God and His word written on your heart – this would mean time spent in it.  Do you meditate on His word with the sun comes up and when it goes down – this would mean time spent in His word.  Do you desire knowledge and understanding of God and to grow in it – this would mean time spent in His word.  There is so much from this world and our culture that would lead us down a path that sees no need for God and seems to validate our choices.  David said “God’s word is a light unto his path.” Everyday we make a choice to live for and serve God or live for and serve self.  Some may think this is a  “one time” choice but it much more than that.  It is a continuous “life long” “daily” conscious choice,  lived out every second every single day.