Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy!
Psalm 107:2
As a young boy I remember my mom saving her S&H green stamps, it was a family event when we got ready to redeem them at the redemption center. We as a family would get around the table, mom would pull out her box of stamps and we would begin the task of pasting the stamps in the stamp book. Little did I know that I was seeing and experiencing one of the best examples of what redemption means.
Only when we are blinded by our sin and our heart is hardened by the enemy of our soul; when we find we’ve been sold a bill of goods or sold down the river only to find that we are in bondage at the end of our trip. When we feel there is no way out, we are lost, alone, isolated and life is less than we ever thought it would be. Then God.
Then God sent His Son to redeem us. Yes, Jesus walked in to the “store”, the world, and paid the price for our sins, all of our sins, and we were bought with a price. The price being the blood of Jesus, which cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and opens all of heaven for our sakes. Not only when this life is over, but the life we now live we live by the power of the Son of God, who bought us, redeemed us from death and destruction, and restored to us our original purpose of life. That is to worship and enjoy in fellowship our Heavenly Father who redeemed us from this world and the influence of the god of this world, the devil, and established us in His kingdom. He loves us and empowers us and blesses us far above what we can imagine or even see. We are blessed beyond our own perception, and eternity is ours to enjoy. Yes, we are bought with a price, we belong to Jesus, and we are His precious possession. We embrace all He has for us, by surrendering all we used to be for a much better future, eternity, and a much better life. For we have God’s love pouring out towards us and through us for His sake. We are by His choosing the salt of the earth, filled with His love, and full of His grace and power. We are His, He is ours, and we have been bought for such a time as this.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Deuteronomy 7:9
Therefore, know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:9
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful creator. 1 Peter 4:19
God is faithful! He’s a good God, all the time, without a dark side to His nature. Sometimes we may find doubts about His goodness creeping in. We may find ourselves wondering if His Word is really true or if God really intends to keep His promises, but when we entertain those doubts, we begin to lose our battle. When we face trying times we need to choose to align ourselves with His Word regardless of what we see with our eyes. The Word is ours, given to us for our encouragement and direction. We have promises to claim! If you are suffering in your finances, go to the Word. Find out what God has to say about finances. Obey Him, trust Him, and watch Him fulfill the promises. The same is true for health issues, family issues, work issues, etc. Go to the Word, find out what He has to say about it, obey His directives, and watch Him fulfill His promises. He is faithful! He is altogether righteous and never changes. Let’s walk together embracing God’s faithfulness and receiving all He has declared is ours if we follow Him.
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:9
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful creator. 1 Peter 4:19
God is faithful! He’s a good God, all the time, without a dark side to His nature. Sometimes we may find doubts about His goodness creeping in. We may find ourselves wondering if His Word is really true or if God really intends to keep His promises, but when we entertain those doubts, we begin to lose our battle. When we face trying times we need to choose to align ourselves with His Word regardless of what we see with our eyes. The Word is ours, given to us for our encouragement and direction. We have promises to claim! If you are suffering in your finances, go to the Word. Find out what God has to say about finances. Obey Him, trust Him, and watch Him fulfill the promises. The same is true for health issues, family issues, work issues, etc. Go to the Word, find out what He has to say about it, obey His directives, and watch Him fulfill His promises. He is faithful! He is altogether righteous and never changes. Let’s walk together embracing God’s faithfulness and receiving all He has declared is ours if we follow Him.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
1 Peter 5:8-11
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:8-11
There’s no escaping the fact that sometimes life is hard. We’re often faced with trials, stressors, and pain that come from all sorts of places. Some we bring on ourselves through poor choices or outright sin and some are just the result of living in a fallen world alongside broken people. But we have a God who loves us and victory is ours in spite of difficult circumstances.
Psalm 107:17&19 say that “Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.”
Let’s remember to be steadfast in our faith and lean on God, His Word, and His promises. And let’s not forget to look outside of our own circumstances to see our brothers and sisters. Find someone who needs your words of encouragement and someone who can encourage you. As we persist in pursuing and obeying God, He will be faithful (as the Word says) to perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us. His peace will rule and His resurrection power will rise in us. Praise God, we are not alone!
There’s no escaping the fact that sometimes life is hard. We’re often faced with trials, stressors, and pain that come from all sorts of places. Some we bring on ourselves through poor choices or outright sin and some are just the result of living in a fallen world alongside broken people. But we have a God who loves us and victory is ours in spite of difficult circumstances.
Psalm 107:17&19 say that “Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.”
Let’s remember to be steadfast in our faith and lean on God, His Word, and His promises. And let’s not forget to look outside of our own circumstances to see our brothers and sisters. Find someone who needs your words of encouragement and someone who can encourage you. As we persist in pursuing and obeying God, He will be faithful (as the Word says) to perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us. His peace will rule and His resurrection power will rise in us. Praise God, we are not alone!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the Lord prolongs days, Proverbs 10:27
In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence Proverbs 14:26
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life Proverbs 14:27
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord Proverbs 15:16
And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil. Proverbs 16:16
The fear of the lord leads to life Proverbs 19:23
When I was a child I learned how to “fear the Lord” by first learning to respect and honor my parents. There was always a consequence for my disobedience. I learned to “walk the line” by knowing that judgment would come my way if I made poor choices. Later on this step in my learning process translated to an understanding that my choices as an adult still lead to judgment – or to blessing. So often we have a poor understanding of the heart of God because of the unhealthy things we’ve experienced as children. We wind up believing that fearing God means being afraid of Him.
God loves us and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. He wants to bless us and He knows what is and isn’t good for us. He’s given us His Word so we can choose to walk in the way of blessing and righteousness. The “fear of the Lord” is not about an angry God who wants to hurt you, but a loving father that wants to help you walk in the way of blessing. In our culture today, fear of the Lord can best be translated as honor, respect, and reverence. When we declare that God is smarter than we are, wiser than we are, and knows the beginning from the end; when we follow His Word and trust Him when we don’t understand we are “fearing the Lord.” These things aren’t always easy to do, but they are the way of wisdom and blessing. Following His Word is our hope and joy. Sometimes we’ll understand and sometimes we’ll walk by faith, but in it all we’ll be blessed and the fruit of the Spirit will be our portion.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the Lord prolongs days, Proverbs 10:27
In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence Proverbs 14:26
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life Proverbs 14:27
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord Proverbs 15:16
And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil. Proverbs 16:16
The fear of the lord leads to life Proverbs 19:23
When I was a child I learned how to “fear the Lord” by first learning to respect and honor my parents. There was always a consequence for my disobedience. I learned to “walk the line” by knowing that judgment would come my way if I made poor choices. Later on this step in my learning process translated to an understanding that my choices as an adult still lead to judgment – or to blessing. So often we have a poor understanding of the heart of God because of the unhealthy things we’ve experienced as children. We wind up believing that fearing God means being afraid of Him.
God loves us and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. He wants to bless us and He knows what is and isn’t good for us. He’s given us His Word so we can choose to walk in the way of blessing and righteousness. The “fear of the Lord” is not about an angry God who wants to hurt you, but a loving father that wants to help you walk in the way of blessing. In our culture today, fear of the Lord can best be translated as honor, respect, and reverence. When we declare that God is smarter than we are, wiser than we are, and knows the beginning from the end; when we follow His Word and trust Him when we don’t understand we are “fearing the Lord.” These things aren’t always easy to do, but they are the way of wisdom and blessing. Following His Word is our hope and joy. Sometimes we’ll understand and sometimes we’ll walk by faith, but in it all we’ll be blessed and the fruit of the Spirit will be our portion.
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