Month: April 2020

“and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
‭‭II Corin‬ ‭5:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.
A part of the misery of sin is that it causes us to live our lives for us. It becomes a selfish existence. But when we trust Jesus, when He comes to live in us, our lives change profoundly! We are no longer living for ourselves, but for Him! We are to live everyday for His glory and to make Him known. This is the life of real peace and joy, when we live for Him Who died for us.

“O Lord God, Thou hast begun to shew Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy mighty hand…” Deut.‬ ‭3:24‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Even though Moses had seen many great and mighty miracles, he realized, that God was far greater than his mind could comprehend. The more that he learned of God and the closer he walked with God, the more he understood that God is Infinite in power and glory. With all the writing and teaching about God that he did, he would still say “the half has not been told!”. For us today, we have so much that we can read and study and learn about God. We can draw as close to Him as our hearts desire. And yet, when our feeble minds have taken in all that we can, we will join with Moses and say, “I’m only beginning to learn of You Lord”. So let us follow on to know Him more and more.

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.” Psalms‬ ‭32:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬.  What a great blessing it is to know that we have an All Knowing and All Seeing Father Who promises to teach us, lead us and guide us! He sees the path before us and knows exactly what we should do. He knows how to keep us from evil. But our part is, to be humble so that we can learn and be led. To not be like foolish children who think they know best. Let us be meek and lowly students of our Heavenly Teacher. Let us trust our Perfect Father, that He always knows best!

“My help cometh from the Lord, Which made heaven and earth.” Psalms‬ ‭121:2‬ ‭KJV‬‬.  One of the greatest failures of many Christians is that they underestimate God. They feel and act as if He is a small god. As if He is limited in what He is able to do. And so, they continually look to others for the help they need. Or, when they truly need help, they lean upon their own strength and understanding. But we need to believe that our real help comes from God, Who is Great in Power and Might! That the One Who is helping us is the God Who made this universe and hung the stars in place! The One to Whom nothing is impossible! Dear ones, be encouraged, because it is THIS AWESOME GOD that is ready to help us in every way we need.

“If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God…”            John‬ ‭7:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬ One of the profound truths in spiritual life is, that the ability to comprehend the things of God, is not based on intellect but on purity of heart. This is why Jesus pronounced blessing upon “the pure in heart”. In things of the world a person with a keen mind will always be ahead in understanding. But in spiritual life it is the soul that sincerely seeks to do the will of God who develops a clearer understanding of truth. So we can be sure that our intellect does not impress God. But one thing that our Heavenly Father cherishes is a pure heart that loves Him and seeks to obey Him. That is the person to whom God’s Spirit will reveal truth.

“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” ‭‭Deut.‬ ‭4:29‬ ‭NKJV  These words contain a wonderful promise and a warning. To those who seek God sincerely, with their whole heart, they will find Him to be all they need. They will find Him to be more than they ever could have imagined. They will find Him to be the only One Who can completely satisfy their soul. But, to the person who seeks half-heartedly, and is not serious about pleasing God, they will only find the emptiness of man’s religion. Let us ask ourselves, “Am I truly seeking to know Him and please Him?” or “Am I seeking selfishly for what I can get from Him?”

“For they (earthly fathers) indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.” Hebrews‬ ‭12:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬              One of the difficult things about human discipline is that we don’t always understand, or agree with, the reason why we are receiving it. But our Heavenly Father tells us here what His reason is for all correction. It is always for our spiritual benefit. It is always to cause us to be partakers of His holiness, which means to make us more like His Son, Jesus. So in times of correction, let us trust our Father’s heart of love, that He is doing what we need and what is best for us.

“…My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens…” Hebrews‬ ‭12:5-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬           One of the marks of a true child of God is that he will humbly accept the correction of his Father. Even though this society has rejected the thought of discipline and correction, we can be sure that our Heavenly Father has not changed. He knows our needs, and because He has perfect love for us, He will correct us as we need it. Let us prove that we are His true children by humbly accepting the discipline He gives. And be thankful He loves us enough to give it.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬
We often think of these words in regards to other people and the big things around us. We believe that our God is able to do far more than we can ask or imagine. But do we pause to consider, that this same power is working IN US? That the Almighty power of the Living God, is at work in our hearts and lives? Will we believe that God can do more IN US and THROUGH US than we have ever thought possible? Let’s make these words personal today and allow His power to work in us.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped…” Psalms‬ ‭28:7‬ ‭KJV   When we truly begin to trust in God we make wonderful discoveries of Who He is and what He does for us. We learn that He is our Strength and our Protector. We find that whatever our need is He is our present Help in time of need. But it all begins with simple trust. We must be willing to trust Him and not lean on our own strength or understanding. When we need help, we must trust that He will help us. The more we trust Him, the more our hearts will agree, “‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus”.