Tag: wipe away every tear

“We will come to them and make our home with them.”

 

 

John 14:23.   Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

 Psalms 91:1     He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

 Isaiah 57:15     For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

 Romans 8:9   You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

 1 John 2:24      Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

 1 John 4:15-16    Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

 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.

 Revelation 7:15-17    “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

 Revelation 22:3    No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.

 Jhn 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.

Is there any greater promise than salvation, forgiveness, restoration, in-dwelling Holy Spirit, and eternal life? Grace, mercy, and love are offered to us through Jesus Christ. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.  

Think about this! While we were going about our sinful lives doing sinful things, thinking sinful thoughts, giving no thought to Jesus Christ being beaten, whipped, nailed to a cross, and dying as a sacrifice for our sins, He did this. There was nothing in us or about us that was worthy of Him giving His life so that we could have a new birth and eternal life. Our lives were a mess, our actions were not God-honoring. Our thoughts were only with selfish desires. We gave no thought to or about God, and if we did, it was in passing. We gave no thought to eternity, eternal life, or eternal torment. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, in us worthy of such a sacrifice, and yet, in our worthless, sinful, ungodly lives, God reached out to us through His Son Jesus Christ for our redemption. Not only that, but God, promises to indwell those who invite Him into their lives through faith, trust, obedience, and reliance in/on Jesus Christ.

If you think you are not worthy of the Love of Jesus Christ. You are right, but PRAISE be to God, He knows all about every single worthless and sinful thing about you and still stands at the door of your heart, knocking and offering eternal life. His grace, mercy, and love are greater than anything you have done in the past.  Listen for His knock and offer of salvation, forgiveness, restoration, in-dwelling Holy Spirit, and eternal life. Trust His promises! 

Your life will be forever changed.

53.d. Joshua 1:10-18

 

 

Jos 1:10-18  And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’” And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.” And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you, as he was with Moses!  Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

John 14:23.   Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

 Deuteronomy 5:27     Go near and hear all that the LORD our God will say, and speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’

 Psalms 90:1     Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.

 Psalms 91:1    He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

 Isaiah 57:15      For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

 Romans 8:9-11  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

 Revelation 7:15-17    “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

The people of Israel engage to obey Joshua; All that thou commandest us to do we will readily do, without murmuring or disputing, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go. The best we can ask of God for our magistrates, is, that they may have the presence of God; that will make them blessings to us, so that in seeking this for them, we consult our own interest. May we be enabled to enlist under the banner of the Captain of our salvation, to be obedient to his commands, and to fight the good fight of faith, with all that trust in and love his name, against all who oppose his authority; for whoever refuses to obey him must be destroyed. (Henry)

I will not leave you orphans, or fatherless, for though I leave you, yet I leave you this comfort, I will come to you. I will come speedily to you at my resurrection. I will come daily to you in my Spirit; in the tokens of his love, and visits of his grace. I will come certainly at the end of time. Those only that see Christ with an eye of faith, shall see him for ever: the world sees him no more till his second coming; but his disciples have communion with him in his absence. These mysteries will be fully known in heaven. It is a further act of grace, that they should know it, and have the comfort of it. Having Christ’s commands, we must keep them. And having them in our heads, we must keep them in our hearts and lives. The surest evidence of our love to Christ is, obedience to the laws of Christ. There are spiritual tokens of Christ and his love given to all believers. Where sincere love to Christ is in the heart, there will be obedience. Love will be a commanding, constraining principle; and where love is, duty follows from a principle of gratitude. God will not only love obedient believers, but he will take pleasure in loving them, and will rest in love to them. He will be with them as his home. These privileges are confined to those whose faith worketh by love, and whose love to Jesus leads them to keep his commandments. Such are partakers of the Holy Spirit’s new-creating grace. (Henry)

There is a correlation between time spent in God’s Word in Faith, Belief, Trust, Obedience, and Reliance, and the Leading of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life expressed in love for God and others.  The key here is “Time in God’s Word”. There is too much in our lives that draws and entices us to spend more time thinking about and doing worldly and fleshly stuff. I like to listen to Christian music. It is on all the time in my car and shop. If this was all I did for growth and maturing in my Love for God and the leading of the Holy Spirit in My life, it would be a sad and very limited expression of commitment, dedication, and desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. Too often this is the case in many lives. There is limited time in His Word so they will get their dose of devotion by listening to a Christian music station.  

Nothing can replace personal time in God’s Word in our growth, understanding, and knowledge of God and godly living. Nothing.  If God’s Word was food and water for our souls, would we be wasting away and slowly dying from starvation and thirst? 

God’s Word is: 

A lamp to our path

Food for our soul

Living water

Our strength

Where we find peace, joy, hope, refuge

Instruction for righteousness

Knowledge and Understanding

How we know truth

Maturity and growth

How we discern false

How we hear the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit

How we know what is worldly and fleshly

How we grow in love for others

God’s Word should be our nutrition and food for living.  Christian music is like a vitamin to help us rejoice and worship Jesus Christ.

41.l. “Reflect on this past year”

 

 

Psalms 107:9  For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

 Isaiah 55:1-3   “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  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.

 Jeremiah 31:25    For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”

 Matthew 5:6     “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 Luke 1:53    he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

 Revelation 7:16-17   They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

What fills your desires? What consumes your time? What defines the purpose of your life? What are you chasing after? Could it be that you are chasing after things in this world to fill the void and emptiness in your soul?

When we give thought to what drives us and satisfies our soul and fills us with purpose, it is eternally important that we identify that longing within us as spiritual and godly hunger. Billy Graham, often said that this longing for purpose is the ultimate intent of our creator. It is a void (space/emptiness) inside each of us. It’s that void that many people try to fill with wealth, possessions, sex, drugs, alcohol, sports, gambling, power, beauty, work, recognition, etc…… They search for their purpose or significance to fill this void by every possible means but do so in vain.

The problem is, things that seem right in our eyes and even the culture that we live in are the things that will never fill this void.   Our natural intents are toward every conceivable idea that seems right and has been confirmed by all means possible by others who say this is how they found purpose and satisfaction in their lives. The problem is that all of these attempts mask it, cover it with brief moments of satisfaction but will always fall short of putting one drop of soul-satisfying nourishment into this void. The only way to satisfy it is with more of the same or trying something different, but in the end, they lead you right back to where you were, or worse. The world offers what it can never give. The problem is that these may be brought to us through temptations by Satan and we are easily tempted by them, or worse we are not even tempted, we just choose to close our minds to things of God.  Satan does not need to tempt us at all.  How sad is that?

God stands at the door of our hearts, knocking. He offers forgiveness of sin. He fills those who repent, believe, trust, follow, and obey His Word to come into them and give them living water and the bread of life, not only now but for eternity. He promises to fill them with the Holy Spirit. To those who keep their eyes and focus on Him with the single purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ, he promises to fill this void with the fruits of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. To these, their longing for purpose and satisfaction has not only filled but it is overflowing continually.  You may think this is not true and how can this satisfy the emptiness I am feeling deep within my soul?  It is a promise of God. He never lies. He loved us so much that He gave His only Son to redeem us. He gave us the written Word of God to encourage, convict, and lead us to the very point of exposing the void in our hearts with a purpose and satisfaction this world can never do.  Intentionally choose to examine your heart in light of God’s Word and what satisfies it and gives your purpose. If you find an emptiness or void open the door to your heart and purpose to honor and glorify Jesus Christ anew with all you think, say, and do.

 

31.l. “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness”

 

Psalm 107:9   “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (, NKJV).

 Isaiah 55:1-3   “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  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; 

 Jeremiah 31:14   my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD.”

 Jeremiah 31:25   For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”

 Matthew 5:6   “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 Revelation 7:16-17  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Do you ever wonder why there are so many self-help, self-satisfaction, and finding self-purpose books being written, published, marketed, and being sold? There are tens of thousands out there. You would think if there are this many books out there someone would find the solution to these longings in our soul and that these longs are very real. 

Billy Graham, said something like this; “There’s a place inside each individual, that if it is continually being filled will satisfy our inner soul. This is a reserved place for God and His Word in our lives. It is a place where true and lasting satisfaction, peace, joy, strength, and purpose find a residence in our hearts and minds.  This is the place reserved for God alone in our lives. Many people try to fill this place with wealth, possessions, sex, drugs, alcohol or work, but do so in vain. They long to fill this place/void in their soul. It is the place where purpose, contentment, inner peace, happiness, fulfillment, joy, etc…. are only fully satisfied when we hunger, desire, thirst, and long for God.  Only God can fill it and continually refresh it to overflowing abundance.  

The problem is, the things of this world (wealth, possessions, sex, drugs, alcohol, or work) are fleeting, they’re broken, and they’ll eventually let you down. Money and possessions can be ripped away from you in a moment. Relationships falter. Drugs and alcohol wear off and leave you right back where you were, or worse. 

God is the One who refreshes our soul and dwells in our innermost self, meeting those needs and desires that seem to be so elusive. We hunger for Him, and only He alone can satisfy. There is darkness and void in our soul when anything other than God is being put into it. There is light for the soul when this place is filled and continually refreshed by God. 

When God is rejected, put aside, neglected, marginalized, or denied there is no light for our soul.  Though He may quietly whisper; “come to Me and I will give you rest”, our ears deafen and our hearts harden to His repeated calls of salvation, redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life. It is in this rejection of His grace, mercy, and love when we turn to something else to fill the void of God in our lives. All the Holy Spirit-filled joy, peace, strength, hope, love, purpose, and true contentment we could have in our lives is discarded for worldly ideas of the same but which will never accomplish.

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.

7. “The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

John 4:14  but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jeremiah 2:13  for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Two very different approaches to salvation, 1. believe in, rely on, trust in, devoted to, and acknowledge with acceptance.  2. refuse, reject, turn down, turn away from, and disbelief.  For those who believe, Jesus Christ, (the Lamb of God), will become an ever in-dwelling spring of living water that brings a refreshing and renewing to their soul.  Some have tasted this water and, for practical terms, have spit it out.  Others have heard of it and saw no need for this living water for they were satisfied with something else. These are the ones who made an intentional choice to gather water that will never satisfy or quench the thirst their soul is so desperately searching for. Joh 1:11  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

But to those who drink of this Living Water, to them Jesus Christ, (the Lamb of God),  John 1:12  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.   

Do you ever wonder what parts of your life you have kept to yourself and have carved out cisterns of self-reliance and self-satisfaction?  When we commit to reading the Word of God with a thirst for it’s Living Water, our lives will ever be growing in humble service, honor, glory, worship, praise, obedience, and reliance on Him who is the only one that can quench the thirst of our soul.

Blessed Assurance

“He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.”

John 11:23  Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”  Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,  and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”   She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

John 5:28    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.

Isaiah 26:19    Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Psalms 17:15    As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Ezekiel 37:1    The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.  And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.  And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.”

Daniel 12:2    And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.  And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Hosea 13:14     I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death.

Blessed assurance that death will not be our final state.  Everlasting life awaits those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ.  We get so got up in things this side of eternity we lose sight of that which is beyond what we see here.  This life is but a vapor when compared to eternity.  Yet is seems so long at times.  When trials, issues, troubles come we have the assurance that the same person who will raise us from the dead is also able to wrap His loving arms around us and give comfort, refuge, hope, love, courage, and peace.  Rejoice and praise Him for He is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.  We are redeemed and will be alive forever with Him.

Blessings this side of eternity

“But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.”

“For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”

“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Psalms 65:4  Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!

Psalms 33:12   Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

Psalms 84:4   Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!

Psalms 106:4  Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them,  that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.

Ephesians 1:4   even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

2 Thessalonians 2:13  But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

Psalms 23:6    Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalms 17:15    As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Revelation 21:3  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.”

What does it mean to be blessed?  How are we blessed?  When are we blessed?  Who is blessed?  Why are they blessed?  It is easy to get confused with these questions even if we have knowledge and understanding of God’s word.  Part of the confusion comes with our thinking that being blessed will always mean wealth, comfort, health, lacking little, and not experiencing trials/issues.  From the fall of man we are told “cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Life is going to have emotional and physical pain associated with it but this does not mean we are not blessed.  Some of life’s pain comes from consequences of our actions and some from actions of others.  Our bodies, this side of eternity, are not immortal.   However this does not mean we are not blessed.  Life this side of eternity is but a vapor – here for a brief time and then gone.  God has given us many great and precious promises to navigate this side of eternity with hope, love, joy, rest, comfort, power, strength, and courage.  These are blessings freely given from and through God’s steadfast love.  They are given to those who seek, listen, follow, honor, humbly serve, obey, trust, rely on, believe in and love Him.  These blessings are but a glimpse of what eternity will be like with Him.  Often we are miss guided by the thoughts and culture of our time.  Our expectations this side of eternity are not in line with God’s word.  Our thoughts and focus lose sight of eternity.  To often we listen to those who give God no thought and/or we listen to those who water down God’s word.  To often we spend no time in His word for the purpose of knowing and understanding Him so that we can humbly serve and honor Him.  To often we neglect the very thing that can add meaning and purpose to our lives.  How true scriptures states: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.”  Turn to God, not for what you can get but rather for who He is.  Spend time in His word and seeking Him and how to honor Him this side of eternity.  

 

Pay Attention

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.”

” let us not pay attention to any of his words.”

Psalms 56:5  All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life. For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God! You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.

Job 16:20   My friends scorn me; my eye pours out tears to God,

Matthew 22:15   Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words

Luke 11:54   lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

Jeremiah 18:18   Then they said, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words.”

Luke 22:3  Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.  He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

Isaiah 63:9   In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Hebrews 11:13   These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Malachi 3:16   Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.

Psalms 126:5  Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy  He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

Revelation 7:17    For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

It is obvious there are those who seek God and those who do not.  For those who do not, they have closed their ears, eyes, heart, soul and mind.  they have closed all of these to His creation, His word, and what He has placed within our heart about Him.  Their heart and mind have hardened to the point of not only rejecting God’s call but to reject, mock, and cause issue with those who walk by faith in the one true God.  In Romans it says that they have chosen to reject God because He has made it clear to them through creation and by placing initial knowledge of Himself in their heart and mind.  Romans continues to say that because they have rejected Him, He has given them over to this debase and eternally harmful mindset.  For those who have chosen to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey there is another course/path for their lives.  God is ever present in their heart, mind, and soul.  They know there is more to life than what is experienced this side of eternity.  They hold on to that which is promised – not seen. They come to God with their heart cry and know He is their strength, rock, refuge, joy, peace, and place of rest.  They live this side of eternity with hope and expectation of eternity promised with God.  Keep strong, stand firm, seek God, and CHOOSE to keep your heart, mind and soul focused in this life on Him.  Do not allow your heart and mind to be pulled away by things of this world and culture.  Do not get so busy that you lose sight of God and eternity.  Do not neglect His word.  Keep your life in check with His word.

Open my Eyes

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”

“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.”

Psalms 34:6  This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Psalms 3:4  I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill

Psalms 10:17   O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

Psalms 66:16-20   Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.  I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.  If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.  But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.  Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

Revelation 7:17  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

2 Kings 6:17  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 Kings 19:35  And that night 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.

Daniel 6:22  My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

Matthew 18:10  “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Psalms 119:18  Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

There are many examples of God working wonders beyond our imagination.  I love the passage in 2 Kings where Elisha’s servant saw the enemy and shared fear and asked Elisha what should we do?  Elisha responded with “Oh God please open his eyes that he may see”.  The passage in Daniel where God shut the mouths of the lions is another example of God working beyond our imagination.  How much do we limit God by our lack of faith in His unlimited power, strength and might?  God does not change He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  It is mankind that continues down paths away from God. They no longer see need for they are blinded by their own self worth, self reliance, and self preservation.  The bible says they have itching ears seeking to hear what it is that aligns with their wayward thoughts.  They believe the lies of those who speak with authority about things which deny God and absolutely any need for Him.  Scripture is also clear where it says by the world wisdom no one will find God.  God calls this wisdom foolish.  It is the holy spirit working in us to bring honor and glory to God.  We do this by humbly submitting each day to Him, seeking to listen and obey His leading.  Listen to David when he said “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”  We do well to stay in His word with the same request.