Saved – Page 8 – Praying Pint

Believe the works

John 10:37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there.

John 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.

John 4:39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.”

John 8:30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

John 11:45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him,

John 12:42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;

Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

There are many accounts of people believing. Some that believed and told others. Some that believed and said nothing because of what it may mean to their way of life. In Romans it says; “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” In Matthew it says; “but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” In James it says; “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believed that, and shudder. O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless?” There is more to living for God than just believing. Believing is the first step and requires a heart that is open and seeking to receiving the Word of God. God’s word and call is to all mankind. He is the one who draws us to Himself and loved us and showed grace and mercy through His son Jesus Christ. Our walk of faith in Him is more than believing. Our lives should reflect the light of Christ through humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying Him.

The Good Shepherd

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

“For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. “

“Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.“

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

John 10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Micah 5:4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Our shepherd, Jesus Christ, is the good shepherd that calls, leads and protects His sheep. These sheep hear His voice calling. They come running to Him because their heart desire wants to hear His voice because the Spirit of God has opened their heart to hear. Of course there are those who choose to shut God out and reject this calling. The sheep also hear His leading. They trust in Him and come running to Him and where He leads they follow. They choose to stay close to Him for with Him they find comfort in His guidance. They stay close to hear His voice. These sheep know He protects them and in His care they are safe and secure. They choose to stay near. If only we would be like sheep and follow the Good Shepard.

Alive but Dead

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins”

Joh 5:25 “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.

Revelation 3:1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Ephesians 2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Colossians 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

1 Timothy 5:6 but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.

James 2:26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

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. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

Dead but still alive? Walking with God through our life should have God honoring and glorifying life to it. Some might set the expectation for this very low and say because I don’t do certain things I am honoring and glorifying God. I don’t think it is about doing or not doing but rather a deep heart desire to be lead by God and seeking to hear His whispers of guidance and commitment to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey. If the spirit of God is not present in our life we are dead though we live. Our best plans, thoughts and actions are of no good if they are not foundationaly set in seeking and desiring to honor and glorify God. There is so much we are bombarded each day and we need to be careful to set our heart, mind and soul in His word keeping our ears, eyes, and heart open to see, hear and do that which brings true honor and glory to Him alone.

Seek and Save

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

Joh 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

God gave a gift of eternal life to all who would believe. Eternal life with out pain, suffering, darkness and yet people will still choose to reject this gift. Judgement and condemnation awaits them. How true these words ring true still today-“people loved the darkness rather than the light” Share the gift of God and light of Christ each day. We never know when God will open a heart and mind to understand this gift. It is up to us to proclaim it and the promises of God for eternal life.

The Branch

Psalms 80:14 Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself. They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your face! But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself! Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name! Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Psalms 89:21 so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him.

Isaiah 11:1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

Isaiah 49:5 And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength—

Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’

Ezekiel 17:22 Thus says the Lord GOD: “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

Zechariah 3:8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.

Zechariah 6:12 And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD

I have not counted but there are numerous scripture that God confirms by saying “I will do it”. In these verses today we see the prophetic foretelling of Christ. The Branch from which all fruit of God’s mercy, grace, and love originates. It is through Christ those who believe are redeemed/forgiven. There is no amount of good will (being good) that would ever be able to cover our sin – only the blood of Jesus. Many try to be good and hope this is enough for eternal life with God. His word is clear “there are none righteous, no not one”, and again “there works are but filthy rags” and again “it is not by works less any man should boast” His arms are wide open for all who come to Him for salvation.

Shine Your face upon us

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us”

“Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.”

“LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

Psalms 80:3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Psalms 85:4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!

1 Kings 18:37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

Jeremiah 31:18 I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God. For after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’

Lamentations 5:21 Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old—

Psalms 4:6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”

How do we know if our hearts are not in line with God and His plans and purpose? What does it take to turn our hearts back to God? How far do we have to drift away from Him before we realize the need to turn back to Him? Tough questions to answer. Let’s look at it another way. What if we chose to stay close and continually grow in our knowledge and understanding of Him, Jesus Christ. What if we determined to commit each day to humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying Him. What if we devoted time each day to know Him more. What if we listened for His whispers of guidance and leading? What if we ????? There is so much we can and should do to keep from drifting away. The first of which is to have a heart desire each day to know and love and honor and obey and listen and follow Him.

Those who listened

“ Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,”

“If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.”

Psalms 78:22 because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.

Psalms 106:24 Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.

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 3:18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Jude 1:5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

I have been thinking lately about those that are saved and those who are lost without hope in the Living God. There are those who are lost but do not know they need saving and there are those who know they are lost and choose not to be saved. In Romans is says “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie” and in Thessalonians “Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,” We are to be light unto those who walk in darkness.

We have no King

“The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.”

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

John 12:13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

Zechariah 2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD.

Isaiah 12:6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Isaiah 62:11 Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.”

Zephaniah 3:14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.

John 19:15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

We need to be mindful of those who have the mindset of “we have no King” Prior to the coming of Jesus people looked forward to Him coming and rejoiced. Likewise after His coming people rejoice or at least should have heart and mind of rejoicing. If we understand, in part, His holiness and our sinfulness and the price/redemption freely given for all of those who believe, repent, and humbly serve, honor, follow and obey we should rejoice and give thanks to Him. There is more though isn’t there. It comes with the promise of the Holy Spirit to indwell, lead and guide us through this life in such a way that we honor Him and are a light for those still searching. I rejoice in Him for salvation. I rejoice in Him for the indwelling Holy Spirit. I rejoice in Him for the joy, peace, rest, hope, power, and love. I rejoice in His word that proclaims His majesty, strength, grace, mercy, wrath, anger and love. I rejoice in how He opens His word to lead in understanding and knowing Him more. I rejoice in the fact He has me in His hands. I rejoice in knowing He is my God and knows my every thought. I say this and yet I am not certain I would stand so faithful as Abraham who waited 25 years for the promise given him. I am not sure I would be as faithful as Joseph and trials of betrayal and prison. I am not sure I would be as faithful as the disciples in persecution. I fail in so much, yet I do rejoice in this walk with God and seeing His hand at work in and through my life. I rejoice in knowing He will never leave me or forsake me. I rejoice in how He makes it clear we are to be fully committed with heart and mind deep desire to serve Him.

Heals the brokenhearted

“Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.”

“And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”

“who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,”

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Malachi 4:2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

Psalms 85:9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

Isaiah 66:1 Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? 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.

Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.

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.

Jeremiah 33:6 Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.

We serve this God – “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.” This is the God who’s hands have made and by which all things came to be. God seeks those with a humble and contrite heart. To these there are many blessings and promises given. It seems like today we have so much information at our finger tips that we lose sight of God and trust rather in what we find on a google search. Remember to put Him first and seek His guidance and direction. Yes He surely can direct and lead us through all of our decisions, trials and troubles. He is the mighty awesome powerful creator.

Awesome Power and Might

“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”

Psalms 65:5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

Psalms 45:4 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!

Psalms 47:2 For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.

Psalms 66:3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.

Psalms 76:3 There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains full of prey. The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; all the men of war were unable to use their hands. At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned. But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth.

Deuteronomy 4:34 Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

Deuteronomy 10:21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.

Isaiah 37:36 And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Isaiah 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Psalms 22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.

God’s mighty and awesome deeds from history have been shared with us in scripture. These awesome and mighty deeds include, creation, flood, protection, victory from enemies, signs and wonders, splitting of the Red Sea, water from a rock, fire from the sky, manna and quail, judgements on people, death of enemies, dead back to life, blind were given sight, deaf were able to hear, mute were able to speak, women without child were given children, virgin birth, seas calmed, feeding of 5,000, Jesus Christ birth-death-resurrection, and promises of eternity with Him for those who believe in, rely on, cling to and trust in Him. There are hundreds of more examples recorded of His might acts. Life has a way of blinding us from seeing and believing these acts of power, might, and love. Life gets in the way and we explain away His awesome power and love with words of “I sure was lucky,” “what a coincidence,” “that was weird,” “I wish somebody could explain this to me,” “I see it but don’t believe it,” somebody was watching over them,” “such is fate,” and many more. When our heart, mind and soul are more focused on this life rather than on God we see things in a different light – through a different lens. God is not in focus and many of His acts are missed and we fail to recognize them. It is impossible to honor and praise God when we neglect to commit our life to Him, spend time with His word, and give Him all our heart, mind, and soul. Do you want to see these acts of power, might and love? Change the way you do life. Focus your heart, mind, and soul on Him. Desire to humbly serve, honor, follow, and obey Him. And as the old hymn says “the things of earth with grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.