July 27,
2005 FREE WILLSome people think that whatever
happens to them is from the hand of God. This takes
no account of the fact that God has given us a free
will.
In
Deuteronomy 30:19, God tells His people:
"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses
against you that I have set before you life and
death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so
that you and your children may live." CHOOSE
life. YOU choose life. Life and death is out
there. What you choose is, well, YOUR choice.
In fact, if you read Deuteronomy chapters 28-30,
you will see numerous blessings that will come upon
those who CHOOSE to be obedient to God's commands,
and likewise, curses upon those who choose NOT to
obey God's commands.
Many times the bad things that come into our
lives are a result of bad decisions we've made. Or
talking out of line with God's word. (After all,
life and death is in the power of the
tongue.) And if
not, then we have the
Holy Spirit inside us to warn us of things to
come, perhaps of plans the enemy has laid, and if we
will listen to that voice, we can avoid the bad.
Someone said to me, "But don't you think God
ALLOWS certain things to happen to you?" Yes,
absolutely. God will ALLOW you to lie, steal, commit
adultery, do drugs, cheat on your income taxes, and
anything else you choose to do. He allows it because
He has given us a FREE WILL. He has voluntarily
chosen to limit Himself in that way. He only
comes into our lives as
we
invite Him and "allow" HIM in. Surely, His will
is that ALL would be saved and come to the knowledge
of
repentance. Are all saved? No. Why not? After
all, we know it's His will for all to be saved.
Because in order for God's will to be done in our
lives, we must ALLOW his will be to done. We must
align OUR will with GOD'S will. We must choose to
obey His commands. He has shown us the way to be
saved, healthy, wealthy, and wise. Now we must walk
in it. We must
DO what it takes to receive the blessings.
July 25,
2005
God doesn't keep a
record of sins, so why should we? To do so is
pride. It's saying we are better than God. God's
perfect, we are not. If He who is perfect keeps no
record of sins, then who do we think we are, being
imperfect, and keeping a record of sins?
When I say He keeps no record of sins, that is if
we've asked forgiveness. If we ask forgiveness, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Oh, but wait a
minute. There's a catch to that one, too. He will
only forgive us IF we've forgiven others. Oh,
yeah....Back to keeping a record.
If we walk in love, we do not keep a record of
wrongs.
Love keeps no record of wrongs.
Gee, that sounds so easy, doesn't it? Well, it's
not. We've all been done wrong in things small and
large. But none of it compares to the debt God has
forgiven us through the death and shed blood of His
only Son, Jesus. He paid a debt we could NEVER pay.
That's how big it was. Everything that has been done
to us is of no comparison to this.
If we are to be obedient and partake of all the
blessings of obedience, then we must be obedient to
the royal law of love--to keep no record of wrongs.
July 20,
2005 LAYING HANDS ON THE SICK
I was reading in the last few
chapters of Acts this morning about Paul's being
brought before the courts. He was, of course,
falsely accused by the Jews because of his preaching
about Jesus.
Paul appealed his case to Caesar, and on the way
to Rome, his ship was wrecked on the island of
Malta. This is where, as Paul was gathering sticks
to place on a fire, a viper bit him and he shook it
off into the fire. The people watched him, waiting
for him to swell up and die, but it didn't happen.
What I'm getting to is this: according to
Acts 28:7-9,
7"There was an
estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief
official of the island. He welcomed us to his home
and for three days entertained us hospitably.
8His father was sick in
bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went
in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on
him and healed him. 9When
this had happened, the rest of the sick on the
island came and were cured."
Paul obeyed the Great Commission given by Jesus
in
Mark 16:15-18 to lay hands on the sick. And
he saw the promise to those who lay hands on the
sick: they will recover. Don't take issue with me.
That's what the Bible says. Who's right--the word of
God, or your experience?
What's so interesting is that after Publius'
father was healed, the whole island must have heard
about it, because they were filled with faith that
this same thing could happen for them. Why else
would they have come to have hands laid on them
also? Only if they were expecting to be healed. And
notice: "the rest of the sick on the island came and
were cured." When Paul left that island, everyone
was well!
What's neat is that when God does one miracle, it
sets off a chain of miracles once people witness it
or hear about it. One miracle causes faith to rise
in people that it could also happen to them. And
faith pleases God. And you want God to be pleased
with you.
So why are we so reluctant to lay hands on the
sick? Because we are AFRAID they WON'T get healed?
Instead of BELIEVING that they WILL?
Shame on me.
July 19,
2005 PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM
In line with yesterday's
observation of our need to pray for the peace of
Jerusalem, my continued readings in Psalm reaped two
similar scriptures in which the Psalmist declared "Peace
be upon Israel."
July 18,
2005 PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM
Reading from
Psalm 122 this morning, I read again a
familiar scripture: "Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem." I hear it said often by mature
Christian leaders as they emphasize the importance
of our doing this. According to
Billye Brim, Israel has no friend at this moment
except for the U.S. One reason the U.S. is blessed
is because of our continued support of Israel's
right to be a nation and to defend herself. However,
as Mrs. Brim pointed out in her "June
2005 Prophecy Watch",
"In March 2005, Israel
announced it would build 3500 homes in Ma 'aleh
Adumim. This community, just three miles east of
Jerusalem, was founded on state land around
1982. Today 32,000 residents enjoy living in
this clean, safe Jerusalem suburb. On March 25
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice harshly
criticized Israel and said that the proposed
expansion was at odds with American policy. She
stated, 'It's concerning
that this is where it is, and around
Jerusalem.
We will continue to note that this is at odds
with American policy.'
If indeed, the return to
and development of Jerusalem is at odds with
American policy, then American policy is at odds
with the Bible. The Administration and Congress
must look to aligning American policy with the
will of God or risk being 'cut in pieces.' (See
Zechariah 12:1-3)."
It behooves us personally
and as a nation to pray for the peace of
Jerusalem. I'll be the first to admit that in
the past, I have rarely done it. But as the Lord
has quickened it to me this morning, I will be
more diligent to pray for the peace of
Jerusalem. Then our nation will be secure and
prosper, and so will I. I will pray as
Psalm 122:6-9 instructs me:
"May they prosper who love
you.
7Peace be
within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces."
8For the
sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, "Peace be within you."
9Because of
the house of the LORD our God
I will seek your good.
July 14,
2005 I WILL OBEY
Can't get out of Psalm 119. Oh, I
left it for a day or two to read some more in Acts.
But right now I'm planted in Psalm 119. I've noticed
all sorts of things, even besides the "path"
scriptures as mentioned below on July 6.
Take a look at how many times the Psalmist says,
"I will obey."
-
Psalm 119:8
I will obey your decrees; do not
utterly forsake me.
-
Psalm 119:17
Do good to your servant, and I will live; I
will obey your word.
-
Psalm 119:34
Give me understanding, and I will keep your
law and obey it with all my heart.
-
Psalm 119:44
I will always obey your law, for ever
and ever.
-
Psalm 119:56
This has been my practice: I obey
your precepts.
-
Psalm 119:57
You are my portion, O LORD; I have promised
to obey your words.
-
Psalm 119:60
I will hasten and not delay to obey
your commands.
-
Psalm 119:67
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but
now I obey your word.
-
Psalm 119:88
Preserve my life according to your love, and
I will obey the statutes of your
mouth.
-
Psalm 119:100
I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
-
Psalm 119:101
I have kept my feet from every evil path so
that I might obey your word.
-
Psalm 119:129
Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I
obey them.
-
Psalm 119:134
Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I
may obey your precepts.
-
Psalm 119:145
I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD,
and I will obey your decrees.
-
Psalm 119:158
I look on the faithless with loathing, for
they do not obey your word.
-
Psalm 119:167
I obey your statutes, for I love them
greatly.
-
Psalm 119:168
I obey your precepts and your
statutes, for all my ways are known to you.
I will obey His word. And not only the things
that are EASY to obey, but all of it.
July 8,
2005 GOD'S WORD--MY COMFORT
Still in Psalm 119. Instead
of starting where I left off the day before, I find
I go back--sometimes even to the beginning of the
chapter. Anyway, the verses that jumped out at me
today are
verses 49-50:
"Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life."
No matter what I am going through at any
time, my comfort is always in God's Word, in His
promises to preserve my life and to keep me and
love me and guide me and everything else. The
reason I find hope and comfort in His word is
that I know He watches over His word to perform
it, and that His word will not return to Him
void, but will
accomplish the thing He sent it to do. I
have this assurance, and it is a mighty
assurance.
July 6,
2005 TAKING THE RIGHT PATH
Last week Craig and I took the
youth group to
Discovery Camp.
I was reading again in Psalm 119, which happens
to be the longest chapter in the Bible. I guess it
is one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. It is
so rich, I find I can read no more than a few verses
at a time. I have to stop and meditate on the wisdom
of them. I have to "Selah" (pause and calmly think
of that).
One thing I noticed something reading through the
first few verses is the repeated use of the word
"path." I'm going to do a more thorough search of
this thought, but what immediately comes to me is
that Life is a path. There are many side paths that
fork from the main path, but the right path is the
narrow one that leads to Heaven. That is God's path.
Look at these verses:
"I run in the path of your commands, for you have
set my heart free." (Psalm
119:32)
"Direct me in the path of your commands, for
there I find delight." (Psalm
119:34)
"I have kept my feet from every evil path so that
I might obey your word." (Psalm
119:101)
"I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path." (
Psalm
119:104)
"Your word is a lamp to my
feet and a light for my path." (Psalm
119:105)
His path is paved with his commands. When we
are obedient to those, we stay on the right
path.
