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Category Archives: Books of the Bible

Find Characteristics of God in your favorite chapter in the Bible

My God is…from the ancient days Isaiah 43:12-14

20 Feb

Isaiah 43:12-14 – I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and god-crossproclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?

I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.

I, even I – I looked this up in some commentaries, because I was confused why it said it this way. As you probably guessed, it is like saying “I, yes I”, and is used to make the point more emphatically. Because I have a sort of sarcastic, off-beat mind, I sort of hear it being said with a New York accent – “Yeah, I’m God, that’s me.” In this passage God is trying to make something really clear to us. Apart from Him there is no savior. Why, oh why do I keep trusting in other things over the one with true power? Why do I trust my money to get me out of problems, or friends to pave the way for good things to happen? God, only God can provide all I need.

I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you.

Hello, McFly!!! Sometimes I feel like God is knocking on my head saying, “Come on, how many times have I told you. I am the one who has revealed your need for a Savior. I provided the saving grace you need. I have told you the truth. All those other distractions have nothing to offer. All of those other things you’re wasting your time on are pointless without me. Take me with you on your journey. Lean on me, trust me. I am reliable. Your money, friends and family may come and go. But I am always here for you.” How many times, in how many ways has the Lord told me I can only find true salvation and grace through Him. Everything else is futile.

You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God. 

There are so many things the Lord has done in my life, and so many He’s done in your life as well. Those things that He has helped us through, along with scripture and the Holy Spirit bear witness to Him in our lives. It is always good to turn to these things when we’re filled with doubt. Remembering the times you could clearly see His hand in your life. If you’ve never seen His work in your life, don’t despair, you can still find the evidence you need in Scripture, and you can pray to have it revealed to you through the Holy Spirit. We are witnesses. Keep your eyes open so you don’t miss the action!

Yes, and from ancient days I am he.

Why does it matter that He has been around forever? Because we know that those who have gone before us, in our families, in scripture and in our churches are also bearing witness to who He is. From days of old He has been the same as He is now. We can see His work in many of our families throughout the years, in some we can see His absence, and that is all the more evidence as to why we need Him in our lives. We see patterns in our families that repeat themselves, and our Father in heaven sees them, but He is the only one we can lean on to help us to change the destructive patterns that appear in almost every family. He has seen the pain, and He offers the solution. He has also seen the blessings, and He knows your family and your struggles from the very beginning. There is no one who knows you better, deeper, stronger than the Lord, and He delights in you. Yes Jill, even you.

When I act, who can reverse it? 

God can fix things completely. Because He knows me better than I know myself, I can trust Him to help make the changes in my life that will allow me to glorify Him more fully. I know that there have been times when I have fought Him on the changes. I pray now that I am able to let Him mold me more fully. I want to be a blessing to those around me, and a reflection of Him to those I know and meet. When God acts, who can reverse it – no one.

 
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Posted by on February 20, 2013 in Isaiah, My God is ever-present, My God is from the ancient days

 

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My God is…equipping 2 Timothy 3:16-17

15 Feb

2 Timothy 3: 16-17 –  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training

Do you need more training?

Do you need more training?

in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

All Scripture is God-breathed

Straight from the horse’s mouth. We get our scripture from the highest authority. It is not the words of mere men, but is God breathed. That’s a big deal. When the phrase straight from the horse’s mouth is used, it was originally used to say that you got a good tip on a horse. The people who inevitably knew the most about the horses were the trainers, and if your horse won the race, it was those in the winners circle…the inner circle. But who could know more about that horse than the inner circle? Only the horse. That’s why a tip straight from the horse’s mouth would be the best tip. In the same way, scripture is our inside scoop. It’s the information the world doesn’t know about. We’re not getting our information from just anywhere, not even from people close to the action, but straight from the most reliable source. This is good news for you and I, because it means that we can stand strong on the precepts that we read and learn from scripture. It is like a love letter from God.

Useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness

The scriptures are like our handbook for life. It is God’s textbook for us to know what is right and wrong, how to be saved, how to treat others, and how to give Him the glory. 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Everything we need to know is wrapped up in this one book. It’s not a very long book considering all the information it holds. I have often wondered at different times throughout my life, “What is God’s plan for me?”. Scripture is the only way to find that out. He created us for His glory, and scripture gives us example so how to and not to give Him glory. We don’t always love to be taught, rebuked, corrected or trained, but we need it. It is essential to our well-being, and I don’t know about you, but I need to relearn things all the time. I learn them, practice them, ignore them and then fail, wondering where I went wrong. As I look to scripture, God’s word, I am reminded of my mistakes and encouraged towards change that will bring God glory.

So that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work

When we get training, education or correcting, there is always a goal in mind (or there should be). Reading scripture, and using it for training, teaching and correcting allows me to be more thoroughly equipped for every good work. I don’t know if you have ever had a job where you didn’t feel like you were being trained properly. Maybe your trainer stunk, or you just weren’t getting it, but either way, it didn’t make the work very enjoyable, productive or useful. God want’s our work to be useful, productive and enjoyable. He has provided us with the information we need to be properly trained. I don’t know about you, but I think there are probably a few things I need a remedial course on. I think as our lives change and we grow, the Lord reveals exactly what we need to find in scripture. But it doesn’t pop out of the book when you just leave it on the shelf, so I find myself with a need to create a discipline of reading His word. I do it by doing Bible studies. I find that’s a great way for me to dig deeper, but I think also just taking time to read His word without a goal in mind is useful. I have been long considering a Bible that leads you through reading the entire scripture, and I think that I may need to invest in one soon. I want to develop more fully and find true success in the Lord.

Do you need more training?

 
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Posted by on February 15, 2013 in 2 Timothy, My God is Equipping

 

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My God is…Living Matthew 16:16

13 Feb

Matthew 16:16 – Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Cardiogram of love - vector illustration

Always a witness

I have been convicted by the phrase, “always a witness” a lot lately. I have thought about what my actions say about who I am. If people know I am a Christian, what am I saying about my God? If they don’t know, why not? In Matthew 16:16, Simon Peter gives an amazingly succinct answer to the question from Jesus: “Who do you say I am?”

You are the Messiah

Calling Jesus the Messiah was like drawing a line in the sand. He was saying that Jesus was the fulfillment of all of the prophecies they had learned about all their lives. He was also saying that Jesus is God, divine in

nature, because you cannot be the Messiah and not be God.

The Son of the living God

So why call Jesus the son of the living God? Well, because God is the God of life, He is eternal, Still active and still present in our lives today. But I think it also sets God apart from the idols, both of this world and era and of the time these words were spoken. He is not just a block of wood. He is not a rabbit’s foot. He is the living God.

God living in you

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” 1 Corinthians 3:16.

Always a witness. If I have the Spirit of the Living God inside of me, shouldn’t my actions and word
What’s alive in you? s match what I believe and confess? Oh Lord help me with the words of my mouth. This is such a place of struggle for me. I do not use good words. I fail so often to be God pleasing with my mouth and my actions. I want to remove everything from my vocabulary that can turn people off from the Lord. I don’t want to waste an opportunity to be a witness by swearing or using the Lord’s name in vain. I am convicted that each moment is an opportunity to be a witness, and I want to start living more in tune with the Living God inside of me. Lord grant this to me, please.

What’s alive in you?

 
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Posted by on February 13, 2013 in Matthew, My God is Living

 

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My God is…Great Psalm 96:3-5

11 Feb

Psalm 96:3-5 Declare his glory among the nations,young-people-clapping
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.

Declare his glory among the nations

The other day during my Bible study (I think I mentioned it in another blog post), I learned more about God’s glory. Glory is God being revealed. That is why Jesus is the fullness of God’s glory while at the same time, I can reflect God’s glory. I can, through my actions, help people to know God more fully. This was a revelation to me. Previously I had thought that giving God glory was the same as praising Him. Saying God is good, or thanking Him for what He has done, and while it does include those things, it includes them as a way to show and reveal more of God. Every song with glory in it now has a deeper, fuller meaning for me. I want to declare His glory among all the nations.

His marvelous works among all the peoples

I remember a few years back when I was reading the book Pivot, by Dr. Alan Zimmerman, there was an exercise at the end of one of the chapters that had you write down all the blessings you could think of in your life. I, who can be a relatively negative person (my husband doesn’t call me the cheerful pessimist for nothing), found too many to fill a page. It was astonishing to me all the things I had begun to take for granted. All of the things the Lord had provided me with, blessed me with and the things for which I was now responsible were written on the page. No, that’s probably not true. I probably forgot some. There were more than what I had written down. The good things the Lord had provided me with were too many for me to recount. If you have never done an exercise like this, I suggest you do. Do it now. I won’t be offended if you stop reading here. I think it’s too important to recognize all we’ve been given.

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods

great  /grāt/

Adjective – Of an extent, amount, or intensity considerably above the normal or average.

Noun – A great or distinguished person.

Adverb –  Excellently; very well.

Considerably above the normal or average

Our God isn’t some made up God. He is Great. He is above all gods. By the definition of great, God is considerably above the normal or average. He’s not just a little bit above, considerably above. God is God. He is great, and He deserves our praise.

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.

Sadly we often choose to make things other than God great. We make people, relationships, addictions, greed and so much more increasingly important until they actually replace God at the top of our list. Today in my Bible Study I read in Isaiah how God felt about the false gods, and how crazy it made those that worshiped them seem. Bear with me as I share with you these verses, Isaiah 44: 6-23. Especially take not of verses 9 and 19. Those are the verses that really stuck out to me.

The Lord, Not Idols

6 “This is what the Lord says—
Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.
7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—
yes, let them foretell what will come.
8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”

9 All who make idols are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless.
Those who would speak up for them are blind;
they are ignorant, to their own shame.
10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol,
which can profit nothing?
11 People who do that will be put to shame;
such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
they will be brought down to terror and shame.

12 The blacksmith takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.
13 The carpenter measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.
14 He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.
16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
“Save me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand nothing;
their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19 No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
20 Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

21 “Remember these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.
I have made you, you are my servant;
Israel, I will not forget you.
22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.”

23 Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
shout aloud, you earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,
you forests and all your trees,
for the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
he displays his glory in Israel.

What’s so great?

 
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Posted by on February 11, 2013 in My God is Great, Psalm

 

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My God is…Lord Psalm 16:2

08 Feb

Psalm 16:2 – I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

Excuse me, Your God is Showing.

Excuse me, Your God is Showing.

I have no good apart from you.”

Let’s take a look at the word Lord:

1lord  noun \ˈlȯrd\ definition of LORD

1: one having power and authority over others:

a: a ruler by hereditary right or preeminence to whom service and obedience are due

b: one of whom a fee or estate is held in feudal tenure

c: an owner of land or other real property

d obsolete: the male head of a household

e:husband

f: one that has achieved mastery or that exercises leadership or great power in some area <a drug lord

2 capitalized: god
b: jesus

3: a man of rank or high position: as

a: a feudal tenant whose right or title comes directly from the king

b: a British nobleman: as
(1): baron 2a
(2): a hereditary peer of the rank of marquess, earl, or viscount
(3): the son of a duke or a marquess or the eldest son of an earl
(4): a bishop of the Church of England

c plural capitalized: house of lords

4—used as a British title: as

a —used as part of an official title <Lord Advocate> <LordMayor>

b —used informally in place of the full title for a marquess, earl, or viscount

c —used for a baron

d —used by courtesy before the name and surname of a younger son of a duke or a marquess

5: a person chosen to preside over a festival

One having power and authority over others

My God is Lord, and He has authority over me. He is the great authority. When you think about someone being the authority on a topic, it’s someone who has worked with something a long time or is the creator or that item. God is the authority on you. He created you, He knows you better than you know yourself. But I don’t think that’s the kind of thing it’s talking about here. God has the power and authority to make things happen. He can change things, if it’s His will. He can make things happen. Nothing can become greater than it’s creator, and so it is with God. He created us and is bigger, smarter and more than we’ll ever be. He is outside of all measurement.

A man of rank or high position
God by way of being God is in the ultimate high position. There is none that outrank Him. But sometimes in our lives, we don’t act like He is Lord. That He is the one with authority in our lives or even that we treat Him with honor. We are called to give God glory in all we do, but sometimes our selfish interests get in the way. Maybe we ignore the nudge from God to get up on a Sunday morning and attend worship. Maybe we don’t give the money back when we’re given too much in change. Maybe we focus more on pleasing our spouses or significant others instead of showing God that He is truly in the highest position in our heart. To put this idea in context, I’ve heard people say, “How would you prepare for a visit from the President of the United States?” Even if you don’t like the president in power, most likely you would still show him the respect the position holds, and maybe even be proud he came to see you. Now how do you prepare your heart and home for the One of Highest Position? What efforts do you make in your relationship with the Most Important? I don’t know about you, but it makes me think about some of my choices each day. If I could actually see God as residing in my heart and my home, physically, would I be doing anything differently? I’m guessing I would. Would you?

My Lord, My Master, My Father
How blessed are we that the one who is all-powerful, of the highest rank and position and holds all authority is also the one who adopted me into His family, so that I might benefit from the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I am not a slave, but a child of God, serving not out of duty, but out of love. May we be blessed with continuing faith in the God who is Lord of all.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

The second half of this verse says it all really. My value, my purpose and my spirit are nothing without the Lord. I am God’s child, and when left to my own devices, I am hopeless. I fail, I’m mean, I sin. With the Lord I am saved, purposeful, blessed, encouraging. When my focus isn’t on God, you can tell. It shows in my actions. I want my God to show. I want God to get the glory in my life. I want it to be obvious that there is something different in my life that gives my life meaning. Maybe next time I see someone doing good, I’ll say, “Your God is showing.”

Is your God showing?
 
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Posted by on February 8, 2013 in My God is Lord, Psalm

 

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My God is…with us Psalm 46:10-11

30 Jan

Psalm 46:10-11 – Be still, and know that I am God.Listen
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Being alone can be scary

As a kid did you ever have that moment when you realized you were the last one to be picked up after a game or at school. Did your parents forget? Did they not care? You look around only to see the teacher who was relegated to stay until you were picked up looking at their watch for the 1000th time. When would they show up? Where are they? What was more important than picking me up? Maybe you even got a little panicked. Maybe you worried they wouldn’t show up. (I was good at creating worst case scenarios in my mind – so I’m sure I thought they were in an accident and would never make it back).

Usually my sister or my parents were around, but during my teenage years, there were times when I was the only one in the house. I could really freak myself out. I would sometimes call my grandpa just to feel like someone knew where I was and could talk me down from my fears. (Do I sound neurotic?).

We’re not alone

The truth is, we’re not alone. Never. God is with us. That means no matter where we go, we can reach out for comfort and encouragement. Even when we as adults find ourselves feeling very alone with many people around us. The amount of people in our vicinity doesn’t have much to do with our feeling alone or not. The beauty of God being with us is that He actually has the power to change things. He can make our situation different. He can do it immediately if He wants too, or it might take a little while (probably while I learn patience or endurance or trusting in Him). But He is always there, and always hears our prayers.

Still feel alone

Some of you are probably thinking to yourselves, “Sure, that sounds great, but how do I feel God with me?” That comes in the beginning of our scripture for today. “Be still and know that I am God.” In America, we’re not accustomed to being still. In fact it takes practice, and can feel really uncomfortable at first. But God says in this verse that if we are still we will know He is God. In addition reading scriptures, calling out to Him in your times of need (like I would call my grandpa), or listening to Christian music can all help to remind us of our ever-present God.

Do you know how to be still?

 
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Posted by on January 30, 2013 in My God is With Us, My God is with You, Psalm

 

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My God is…above all John 3:31-36

23 Jan

John 3:31-36 – He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks

God should be above all!

God should be above all!

in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

He who comes from above is above all

Whether we admit it or not, God is above all. Whether we act like it or not, God is above all. God is the ultimate, the big cheese, the big kahuna, the master of the universe. Sin, He’s above it. Kings, above that too. Nature has got nothing on God (He created it after all).

He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. 

We can’t fathom it. We’re from the earth, God is too big to fully understand this side of heaven. He is beyond our comprehension how He is so far above us. Some times we say that His above all things in our lives, but more often than not we put other things in front of our relationship with God. We don’t put God in His proper place above everything else. We watch TV instead of doing a Bible study or praying. We go out with friends instead of helping our neighbor whose lawn and soul desperately need your attention. We put our needs above God and others. But even if we don’t act it, God is above all. He is most important.

Just because we act a certain way doesn’t make it true (or false). 

We say we eat healthy and then go out for french fries. We think of ourselves as kind and then talk behind someone’s back. We act as if we have it all together, while at home we’re crying our eyes out. Even though we don’t act like God is above all, He is. He is above all, no matter how we act, whether we acknowledge Him or not. God is above all.

What’s the big deal? 

Why does it matter that God is above all? Because your God, who is above all, chose to save you. He died on the cross, not because you deserved it, but because He loves you. He saved you not because you would always put Him above all, but because He knew you would fail and wanted to live with you in heaven anyway. He loves us and even though He is above everything else in the Universe (and beyond). That is amazing and miraculous. It is something we need to remind each other of, while we’re working to keep God above all else in our lives. To God be the glory.

Above all by Michael W Smith

Above all powers
Above all kings
Above all nature
And all created things
Above all wisdom
And all the ways of man
You were here
Before the world began

Verse 2
Above all kingdoms
Above all thrones
Above all wonders
The world has ever known
Above all wealth
And treasures of the earth
There’s no way to measure
What You’re worth

CHORUS
Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

 
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Posted by on January 23, 2013 in John, My God is above all

 

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My God is a Sun Psalm 84:11

21 Jan

Psalm 84:11 – For the Lord God is a sun and shield; Morning web
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.

What is that? That bright thing in the sky?

I live in Oregon, and this morning my son looks out the window and says, “What’s that bright thing in the sky?”. Now he is thirteen, so it was really a joke, but here in Oregon, we don’t take the sun lightly. As I sit here writing this, the sun is shining directly in my eyes. If I look up, I have to quickly look away. My eyes can’t handle the brightness. Like Moses on the Mountain, God’s radiance is like the sun, too great for us to look at without being blinded by its brightness.

What is the purpose of the sun? 

The purpose of the sun is to give us light here on earth. It is to allow us to see the evils that linger in the dark, and to remove the dirt and gunk that has built up in our lives. Ever taken a flashlight to look into a dark part of your home, only to find out that it’s incredibly dusty or dirty? God is that sunlight. He helps us to see into our lives, into the dark recesses of our lives (where we don’t really want to look). When we see the dust, we have to decide whether to get rid of it, or pretend it isn’t there.

Cleaning out the cobwebs

In our entryway, there is a chandelier of sorts hanging from the ceiling, and suddenly when there is sunshine coming through the top windows, you become keenly aware of the cobwebs that have formed on that light fixture. As we get to know God more, His Sunlight shines and we see the cobwebs of sin that were not visible before building that relationship with Him. Some of the cobwebs and dust you can get rid of easily, others you have to work a little harder at removing. Sins are the same way, some are easy to break, but others are harder to reach and be truly rid of in your life.

Watch out for spiders

God is using the light to shine on cobwebs of sin in our lives, not to point them out and to make you feel guilty, but instead to make sure you don’t get stuck in them and eaten by the evil one, the devil. He wants you to be free from your sins, not trapped by them, and shining His Sunshine on them allows us the freedom to avoid those sins in the future, and remove the guilt that still lingers.

Don’t ignore what you see

It’s true here in Oregon, that if you ignore the cobwebs, they may not be visible again for a while. Who knows when we’ll get more sun. In our Christian lives it would be a travesty to have God’s Sunlight and then not have it. We don’t want to hope to not be convicted by the Lord and His Sunlight, but instead like Oregonians, run out into the Sun to soak up every blessing He has for us.

Are you soaking up the Sun?

 
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Posted by on January 21, 2013 in My God is a Sun, Psalm

 

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My God is…Awesome Psalm 68:35

16 Jan

Psalm 68:35 awesome compliment

You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!

 

Our God is an awesome God

I don’t know if you’re like me, but when I hear someone say our God is an awesome God, my brain instantly goes to the song of the same name.

AWESOME GOD LYRICS – MICHAEL W. SMITH

You can listen to it here http://youtu.be/38V8jnN1Kpw (just got chills rewatching it).

When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain’t just puttin’ on the Ritz
(our God is an awesome God)
There is thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fist
(our God is an awesome God)
Well, the Lord wasn’t joking
When He kicked ’em out of Eden
It wasn’t for no reason that He shed his blood
His return is very close and so you better be believing
that our God is an awesome God

REFRAIN
Our God(our God) is an awesome God
He reigns(He reigns) from heaven above
With wisdom(with wisdom) pow’r and love
our God is an awesome God

And when the sky was starless in the void of the night
(our God is an awesome God)
He spoke into the darkness and created the light
(our God is an awesome God)
Judgment and wrath he poured out on Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not too quickly forgotten that
our God is an awesome God

Refrain x3

Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
(Our God is an awesome God)
(Our God is an awesome God)

The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

That is an amazing song, and through out the song we see so many ways that our God is awesome. But it is the scripture selected for today that has the message I want highlighted. He is awesome and gives power and strength to His people. I have quite a few friends who are going through some big things in their lives right now. Turmoil in their families, pain and suffering because of ailments and injuries, stress and discord at work, or even lack of money to sustain themselves and their family. But the God of Israel provides us with power and strength to persevere and run the good race.

Press on!

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Letting go of the hurts of the past, is not easy, as it’s described as straining in these verses. We have to strain forward, battling through the painful things that are going on now while forgetting what lies behind. In our Tuesday night Bible study, It said that forgetting in this verse didn’t mean, not remembering exactly. Instead it meant “not letting it have an effect”. In the same way that God remembers our sins no more, we are to forget or not let our past have an ill effect on us any longer. That’s not easy, and it often does come with strain. For me that meant going to a counselor and baring my soul (not to say that I’m in great shape now – long way to go yet). That was a strain. It’s not easy to confess all that has been bringing you pain, whether your fault or someone else’s, it’s not easy to forget (or forgive). But God gives us all that we need to attain this goal, starting with His example. May we strive to be more like Him.

Where do you get your power and strength?

 
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Posted by on January 16, 2013 in My God is awesome, Psalm

 

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My God is…the Messiah Matthew 16:16

14 Jan

Matthew 16:16 –  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Salvation

mes·si·ah  /məˈsīə/

Noun
  1. The promised deliverer of the Jewish nation prophesied in the Hebrew Bible.
  2. Jesus, regarded by Christians as the Messiah of the Hebrew prophecies and the savior of humankind.

The Promised Deliverer

Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Old Testament. It’s amazing to see how books written hundreds and thousands of years before Christ could so specifically predict the things that would take place. Here is an example of those prophecies:

Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.[b]

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.[c]
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”

Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.

Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce[e] my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.

But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!

11 Prophecies in Psalm 22

There are 11 prophecies right here in this chapter that point to Jesus as the Savior, the Messiah. Why does it matter? Because it adds validity to His claims to be the Messiah. That means we can have faith in Him. The Scripture is giving its testimony for our Lord Jesus.

Some of the prophesies in Psalm 22:

There are so many more places in scripture that point to Jesus as the Messiah and Savior. Those scriptures are how Herod’s scholars could figure out where the messiah was to be born. Herod believed that this Messiah was to be the new leader of the Jews, and couldn’t stand that idea so he had all the boys two and under killed in Bethlehem. Herod believed it. The wise men too knew of the prophecies and knew when the star rose in the east that they were going to see the new king. They were certain, or they wouldn’t have gone on that long journey. All of these events, prophecies and people are witnesses for the Truth that Jesus is the Messiah, our Messiah that we might be saved by Him and have eternal life.

Can I get a witness?

 
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Posted by on January 14, 2013 in Matthew, My God is the Messiah

 

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