God knew you, as he knew Jeremiah, long before you were born or even conceived. He knew you, thought about you, and planned for you. When you feel discouraged or inadequate, remember that God has always thought of you as valuable and has had a purpose in mind for you.
Each Christian has a purpose in life, but some are appointed by God for a specific kind of work. Samson, John the Baptist, and Paul were each called to do a particular job for God. If God gives you a specific task, accept it cheerful and do it with excellence. If God has not given you a specific assignment, then seek to fulfill the mission common to all believers - love, obey, and serve God - until such time as his guidance becomes more clear.
Often people struggle with new challenges because they lack self-confidence. They feel they have inadequate ability, training or experience. Jeremiah thought he was too young and inexperience to be God's spokesman to the world. But God promised to be with him. We must never allow feelings of inadequacy to keep us from obeying God's call. He will always be with us. If God gives you a job to do, he will provide all you need to do it.
God's message to Jeremiah was like his message to Moses: the God who made our mouths can provide the words he wants us to speak.
Jeremiah predicted that after the destruction of the nation, God would send a new Shepherd, the Messiah.
God still restores his people by renewing their hearts. We can have assurance of a new heart by loving God, trusting Christ to save us, and repenting of our sin.
Jeremiah served God faithfully for 40 years. During that time the people ignored, rejected, and persecuted him. He remained faithful to God.
People's acceptance or rejection of us is not the measure of our success. God's approval alone should be our standard for service. We must bring God's message to others when we are rejected.
Reference summary used from the Life Application Bible, KJV; Tyndale Publishers Inc; Wheaton, IL
Saturday, July 15, 2017
Sunday - Isaiah in the Temple - Isaiah 6:1-8 - 7/9/17
Isaiah was considered the greatest Old Testament prophet. He had powerful messages of both judgment and hope.
God is purely and perfectly holy, and just, and loving.
In Jerusalem - Isaiah was a Scribe and Prophet.
King Uzziah died of leprosy for trying to take over the High Priest's duties. Although he was generally a good king and his reign was long and prosperous, many of his people turned away from God.
The lofty throne, the attending angels, and the threefold holy all stressed God holiness. We need to rediscover God holiness. We need the Bible's view of God as high and lifted us out of our problems and concerns.
Isaiah's vision was his call to be God's messenger to his people. Isaiah was given a difficult mission. He had to tell people who believed they were blessed by God that God was going to destroy them because of their disobedience.
The seraphims are an order of angelic beings created by God. Here they functioned as God's agents in commissioning Isaiah. Isaiah could understand them when they spoke to him and when they praised God. They were awe-inspiring and powerful creatures - their singing shook the Temple!
Listening to the praise of the angels, Isaiah realized he was common and unclean before God, with no hope of measuring up to God's standard of holiness. When his lips were touched with a burning coal, however, he was told his sins were forgiven. It wasn't the coal that cleansed him, but God. No matter how difficult his task would be, he said, "Here am I; send me." Before we accept God's call to speak for him to those around us, we must be cleansed as Isaiah was. Letting God purify us may be painful, but we must be purified so that we can truly represent God, who is pure and holy.
Reference summary used from the Life Application Bible; KJV, Tyndale Bible Publishers, Wheaton, IL
God is purely and perfectly holy, and just, and loving.
In Jerusalem - Isaiah was a Scribe and Prophet.
King Uzziah died of leprosy for trying to take over the High Priest's duties. Although he was generally a good king and his reign was long and prosperous, many of his people turned away from God.
The lofty throne, the attending angels, and the threefold holy all stressed God holiness. We need to rediscover God holiness. We need the Bible's view of God as high and lifted us out of our problems and concerns.
Isaiah's vision was his call to be God's messenger to his people. Isaiah was given a difficult mission. He had to tell people who believed they were blessed by God that God was going to destroy them because of their disobedience.
The seraphims are an order of angelic beings created by God. Here they functioned as God's agents in commissioning Isaiah. Isaiah could understand them when they spoke to him and when they praised God. They were awe-inspiring and powerful creatures - their singing shook the Temple!
Listening to the praise of the angels, Isaiah realized he was common and unclean before God, with no hope of measuring up to God's standard of holiness. When his lips were touched with a burning coal, however, he was told his sins were forgiven. It wasn't the coal that cleansed him, but God. No matter how difficult his task would be, he said, "Here am I; send me." Before we accept God's call to speak for him to those around us, we must be cleansed as Isaiah was. Letting God purify us may be painful, but we must be purified so that we can truly represent God, who is pure and holy.
Reference summary used from the Life Application Bible; KJV, Tyndale Bible Publishers, Wheaton, IL
The 23RD App
(Poem by Mike Ramey)
I have downloaded my shepherd,
With other commercial Apps…I think I want;
I don’t have time to read my KJV Bible,
I simply MUST surf whenever I want.
I’ve got so much to post,
Tweet, Snap, Stamp…Pin, too!
I don’t have any time left for prayer;
Lord, you can understand…IF I text you?
The flesh won’t bother me, as I shop on line
for the latest skinny jeans, groceries or frock;
Ooh, look at how tight he/she wears it,
Modesty? That’s such a crock!
Yeah, Mom and Dad aren’t hip, even though
They modeled you a lot--God--walking before you humbly;
The Pastor--he’s so out-of-touch,
He STILL hand writes his sermons…and points,
ACTUALLY POINTS to that unflattering cross up there.
Me? I’ve got to screen and laugh at the latest comic,
Who is making fun of traditions…old and new.
(It is tweetrumored that ‘he’ is really a ‘she’,
And likes to sleep with a beast…or two--so cool!)
The Devil…he’s only a figment of the imagination;
He doesn’t exist…he’s little more than ‘emojii stew’.
‘Spiritual Warfare’, what is THAT?
‘Spiritual Gifts’? Is that an app…that’s new?
The Preacher Sighs: Poor Little Fool…wrapped up in his technology.
They didn’t become a Christian…didn’t want to be ‘odd’;
In all their worldly wisdom, he/she couldn’t tell;
There’s no app that will state when one will die,
And move right for a Sinner’s Hell…well below the real sod!
Lift up Christ and lay the sinner low. --C. H. Spurgeon
I have downloaded my shepherd,
With other commercial Apps…I think I want;
I don’t have time to read my KJV Bible,
I simply MUST surf whenever I want.
I’ve got so much to post,
Tweet, Snap, Stamp…Pin, too!
I don’t have any time left for prayer;
Lord, you can understand…IF I text you?
The flesh won’t bother me, as I shop on line
for the latest skinny jeans, groceries or frock;
Ooh, look at how tight he/she wears it,
Modesty? That’s such a crock!
Yeah, Mom and Dad aren’t hip, even though
They modeled you a lot--God--walking before you humbly;
The Pastor--he’s so out-of-touch,
He STILL hand writes his sermons…and points,
ACTUALLY POINTS to that unflattering cross up there.
Me? I’ve got to screen and laugh at the latest comic,
Who is making fun of traditions…old and new.
(It is tweetrumored that ‘he’ is really a ‘she’,
And likes to sleep with a beast…or two--so cool!)
The Devil…he’s only a figment of the imagination;
He doesn’t exist…he’s little more than ‘emojii stew’.
‘Spiritual Warfare’, what is THAT?
‘Spiritual Gifts’? Is that an app…that’s new?
The Preacher Sighs: Poor Little Fool…wrapped up in his technology.
They didn’t become a Christian…didn’t want to be ‘odd’;
In all their worldly wisdom, he/she couldn’t tell;
There’s no app that will state when one will die,
And move right for a Sinner’s Hell…well below the real sod!
Lift up Christ and lay the sinner low. --C. H. Spurgeon
Saturday, July 8, 2017
5 of ... The Heart: The Key to Everything in the Christian Life - Book Review
The Third Soil of the Heart: The Choking Weeds - Five Thorns to Avoid
Let us examine the third soil of the heart and what happens when the Word of God is sown into it.
In this third soil of the heart, the seed of the Word of God fell among the seeds of thorns and both began to grow in this fertile soil. This word "thorn" in the Greek means a thorny plant, a bramble bush, briers, and thistles.
Israel in Bible times had a great variety of these thorny weeds throughout its land. Giant thistles, growing to the height of a man on horseback, frequently spread over regions once rich and fruitful. Prickly roses abound on the lower slopes of Hermon.
Thorns are carriers of spiritual disease and allow rebellion, lust, and idolatry to ride into the human heart.
The First Thorn: The Cares of This World. (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19). The Greek word for "cares" in these verses means an anxious worry that distracts and divides the mind. These anxious worries and cares are indicative of a heart that does not trust God.
Unrepentant sin is a major cause of anxiety in the heart. Anxiety, worry and fear are sin, and should have no place in the heart of a christian.
The Second Thorn: The Cares of This Life. The second thorn in the Parable of the Sower is "the cares of this life." The same Greek Word is used for "cares" so these are still anxious worries that divide and distract the mind and agitate the heart with fear, but it is a different category of cares.
Jesus perfectly illustrates these anxious cares in the Sermon on the Mount and commands these worries have no place in the heart of the child of God.
The Third Thorn: The Deceitfulness of Riches. Millions of people have been corrupted, ruined and destroyed by the deceitfulness of riches. Riches can turn the heart away from God quicker than almost anything on earth.
John Wesley said wealth had destroyed the godliness of more people than other things. This thorn illustrates the eternal truth in the Sermon on the Mount that "where your treasure is there your heart be also" (Luke 12:34).
The Fourth Thorn: The Lust for Other Things. The fourth thorn in the Parable of the Sower are "the lust for other things."
Lust is excessive desire that has gone overboard and adrift from the heart of God that seeks self-satisfaction, self-gratification and self-pleasure as its ultimate thrill ride. Lust has no perception of eternity and no realization of its deadly consequences to the heart.
The Fifth Thorn: The Pleasures of This Life. The fifth and final thorn in the Parable of the Sower is the "pleasures of this life." The Greek word for "pleasures" is "hedone" which means delight, pleasureable, sensation, and sensual pleasures. Hedone is an unrestrained pursuit of anything that over stimulates the senses, stopping at nothing to gorge the body's sinful inner cravings.
Tim Rowe, the author, has a doctorate of jurisprudence and a bachelor's degree in biblical studies, history, and classics. He is the president of Goodness of God Ministries and lives with his wife and son.
Let us examine the third soil of the heart and what happens when the Word of God is sown into it.
In this third soil of the heart, the seed of the Word of God fell among the seeds of thorns and both began to grow in this fertile soil. This word "thorn" in the Greek means a thorny plant, a bramble bush, briers, and thistles.
Israel in Bible times had a great variety of these thorny weeds throughout its land. Giant thistles, growing to the height of a man on horseback, frequently spread over regions once rich and fruitful. Prickly roses abound on the lower slopes of Hermon.
Thorns are carriers of spiritual disease and allow rebellion, lust, and idolatry to ride into the human heart.
The First Thorn: The Cares of This World. (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19). The Greek word for "cares" in these verses means an anxious worry that distracts and divides the mind. These anxious worries and cares are indicative of a heart that does not trust God.
Unrepentant sin is a major cause of anxiety in the heart. Anxiety, worry and fear are sin, and should have no place in the heart of a christian.
The Second Thorn: The Cares of This Life. The second thorn in the Parable of the Sower is "the cares of this life." The same Greek Word is used for "cares" so these are still anxious worries that divide and distract the mind and agitate the heart with fear, but it is a different category of cares.
Jesus perfectly illustrates these anxious cares in the Sermon on the Mount and commands these worries have no place in the heart of the child of God.
The Third Thorn: The Deceitfulness of Riches. Millions of people have been corrupted, ruined and destroyed by the deceitfulness of riches. Riches can turn the heart away from God quicker than almost anything on earth.
John Wesley said wealth had destroyed the godliness of more people than other things. This thorn illustrates the eternal truth in the Sermon on the Mount that "where your treasure is there your heart be also" (Luke 12:34).
The Fourth Thorn: The Lust for Other Things. The fourth thorn in the Parable of the Sower are "the lust for other things."
Lust is excessive desire that has gone overboard and adrift from the heart of God that seeks self-satisfaction, self-gratification and self-pleasure as its ultimate thrill ride. Lust has no perception of eternity and no realization of its deadly consequences to the heart.
The Fifth Thorn: The Pleasures of This Life. The fifth and final thorn in the Parable of the Sower is the "pleasures of this life." The Greek word for "pleasures" is "hedone" which means delight, pleasureable, sensation, and sensual pleasures. Hedone is an unrestrained pursuit of anything that over stimulates the senses, stopping at nothing to gorge the body's sinful inner cravings.
Tim Rowe, the author, has a doctorate of jurisprudence and a bachelor's degree in biblical studies, history, and classics. He is the president of Goodness of God Ministries and lives with his wife and son.
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Sunday - Moses & the Burning Bush - Exodus 3:1-12 -7/2/17
The burning bush
Moses was an Egyptian prince. As a prince he had everything done for him; he was the famous son of an Egyptian princess. As a shepherd he had to do everything for himself. He was holding the very job he had been taught to despise (Genesis 43:32; 46:32-34). What a humbling experience this must had been for Moses. But God was preparing Moses for leadership. Living the life of a shepherd and nomad. Moses couldn't see this himself.
God spoke to Moses from an unexpected source: a burning bush. God often uses unexpected sources when working in our lives too, whether people, thoughts, or experiences. Be willing to investigate, and be open to God's surprises.
Moses saw a burning bush and spoke with God. When the slaves were freed from Egypt, God led them by a pillar of cloud and fire. God made such appearances to encourage his new nation, to guide them, and to prove the reliability of his verbal message.
At God's command, Moses removed his shoes and covered his face as well. God is our friend, but he is also our sovereign Lord. If necessary, adjust your attitude so it is suitable for approaching a holy God.
Reference summary used from Life Application Bible, KJV, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL
Moses was an Egyptian prince. As a prince he had everything done for him; he was the famous son of an Egyptian princess. As a shepherd he had to do everything for himself. He was holding the very job he had been taught to despise (Genesis 43:32; 46:32-34). What a humbling experience this must had been for Moses. But God was preparing Moses for leadership. Living the life of a shepherd and nomad. Moses couldn't see this himself.
God spoke to Moses from an unexpected source: a burning bush. God often uses unexpected sources when working in our lives too, whether people, thoughts, or experiences. Be willing to investigate, and be open to God's surprises.
Moses saw a burning bush and spoke with God. When the slaves were freed from Egypt, God led them by a pillar of cloud and fire. God made such appearances to encourage his new nation, to guide them, and to prove the reliability of his verbal message.
At God's command, Moses removed his shoes and covered his face as well. God is our friend, but he is also our sovereign Lord. If necessary, adjust your attitude so it is suitable for approaching a holy God.
Reference summary used from Life Application Bible, KJV, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Sunday - Samson's Call - Judges 13:1-7, 24-25 - 6/25/17
The Philistines lived on the west side of Canaan, along the Mediterranean seacoast. From Samson's day until the time of David they were the major enemy force in the land & a constant threat to Israel. The Philistines were fierce warriors; they had the advantage over Israel in numbers, tactical expertise, & technology. They knew the secret of making weapons out of iron. But none of that mattered when God was fighting for Israel.
Once again the cycle of sin, judgment, & repentance began. The Israelites would not turn to God unless they had been stunned by suffering, oppression, & death. This suffered was not caused by God, but resulted from the fact that the people ignored God, their Judge & Ruler. The warnings in God's Word are clear; if we continue to harden our hearts against God, we can expect the same fate as Israel.
The angel of the Lord could have been a special divine messenger sent from God or a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus Christ. The reason for the angel's visit was to give Samson's parents the vital news that Samson would begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.
Samson was to be a Nazarite - a person who took a vow to be set apart for God's service. Samson's parents made the vow for him. A Nazarite vow was sometimes for him. A Nazarite vow was sometimes temporary, but in Samson's case, it was for life. As a Nazarite, Samson could not cut his hair, touch a dead body, or drink anything containing alcohol.
Although Samson often used poor judgment & sinned terribly, he accomplished much when he determined to be set apart for God. In this way he was like the nation Israel. As long as the Israelites remained set apart for God, the nation thrived. But they into terrible sin when they ignored God.
Manoah's wife was told that her son would begin to rescue the Israelites from Philistine oppression. It wasn't until David's day that the Philistine opposition was completely crushed. Samson's part in subduing the Philistines was just the beginning, but it was important nonetheless. It was the task God had given Samson to do. Be faithful in following God even if you don't see instant results, because you might be beginning an important job that others will finish.
Samson's tribe, Dan, continued to wander in their inherited land, which was yet unconquered. Samson must have grown up with his warlike tribe's yearnings for a permanent & settled territory. Thus his visits to the tribal army camp stirred his heart, & God's Spirit began preparing him for his role as judge & leader against the Philistines.
God uses a variety of means to develop & prepare us: hereditary traits, environmental influences, & personal experiences. As with Samson, this preparation often begins long before adulthood. Work at being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading & the tasks God has prepared for you. Your past may be more useful to you than you imagine.
Samson's Ventures: He grew up in Zorah & wanted to marry a Philistine girl from Timnah (Timnath). Tricked at his own wedding feast, he went to Ashkelon & killed some Philistine men & stole their coats to pay off a bet. Samson then let himself be captured & brought to Lehi where he snapped his ropes & killed 1,000 people.
Reference summary used from Life Application Bible, KJV, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL
Once again the cycle of sin, judgment, & repentance began. The Israelites would not turn to God unless they had been stunned by suffering, oppression, & death. This suffered was not caused by God, but resulted from the fact that the people ignored God, their Judge & Ruler. The warnings in God's Word are clear; if we continue to harden our hearts against God, we can expect the same fate as Israel.
The angel of the Lord could have been a special divine messenger sent from God or a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus Christ. The reason for the angel's visit was to give Samson's parents the vital news that Samson would begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.
Samson was to be a Nazarite - a person who took a vow to be set apart for God's service. Samson's parents made the vow for him. A Nazarite vow was sometimes for him. A Nazarite vow was sometimes temporary, but in Samson's case, it was for life. As a Nazarite, Samson could not cut his hair, touch a dead body, or drink anything containing alcohol.
Although Samson often used poor judgment & sinned terribly, he accomplished much when he determined to be set apart for God. In this way he was like the nation Israel. As long as the Israelites remained set apart for God, the nation thrived. But they into terrible sin when they ignored God.
Manoah's wife was told that her son would begin to rescue the Israelites from Philistine oppression. It wasn't until David's day that the Philistine opposition was completely crushed. Samson's part in subduing the Philistines was just the beginning, but it was important nonetheless. It was the task God had given Samson to do. Be faithful in following God even if you don't see instant results, because you might be beginning an important job that others will finish.
Samson's tribe, Dan, continued to wander in their inherited land, which was yet unconquered. Samson must have grown up with his warlike tribe's yearnings for a permanent & settled territory. Thus his visits to the tribal army camp stirred his heart, & God's Spirit began preparing him for his role as judge & leader against the Philistines.
God uses a variety of means to develop & prepare us: hereditary traits, environmental influences, & personal experiences. As with Samson, this preparation often begins long before adulthood. Work at being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading & the tasks God has prepared for you. Your past may be more useful to you than you imagine.
Samson's Ventures: He grew up in Zorah & wanted to marry a Philistine girl from Timnah (Timnath). Tricked at his own wedding feast, he went to Ashkelon & killed some Philistine men & stole their coats to pay off a bet. Samson then let himself be captured & brought to Lehi where he snapped his ropes & killed 1,000 people.
Reference summary used from Life Application Bible, KJV, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Sunday - Jephthah Answers The Call - Judges 11:4-11,29-31 - 6/18/17
Jephthah (Personal name meaning "he will open." One of Israel's judges about 1100 B.C. (Judges 11:1-12:7). A Gileadite, he was driven from his home because he was "the son of a harlot" (Judges 11:1). He lived & raided in the land of Tob with a band of outlaws, becoming known as a "mighty warrior." When the Ammonites moved against Israel, Jephthah people asked him to return & lead them. His victory over the Ammonites came about after a vow he made to offer as a burnt offering the first living thing he saw upon his return from battle. Although it was his daughter who greeted him, Jephthah did fulfill his rash vow. Considering as one of Yahweh's "chief" deliverers of His people (1 Samuel 12:11), Jephthah is hailed by the author of Hebrews, as a hero of faith (Hebrews 11:32).
For further study of the lesson "Google" Ammon; Ammonites; Human Sacrifices; Book of Judges.
Reference summary used from the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, @2003 by Holman Bible Publishers; Nashville, TN
For further study of the lesson "Google" Ammon; Ammonites; Human Sacrifices; Book of Judges.
Reference summary used from the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, @2003 by Holman Bible Publishers; Nashville, TN
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)