God Loves Humility

The Lord instructs us in His Word to humble ourselves, so that He may exalt us in due time. (1 Pet 5:6) We need to be obedient to this instruction because the Lord has the power to humble any person or thing that He chooses.

And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it. (Ezek 17:24 ESV)

For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. (Isa 26:5 ESV)

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. ⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. (Lk 1:52-53 NIV)

Even in nature, the trees know who the Lord and the creator God is, and that He has mighty power at His disposal. If the Lord so chooses, He can decide to humble trees, cities, nations, rulers, and individual, influential or wealthy people.

We’re told in Scriptures that the Lord regards (esteems, honors) the lowly (humble) but the haughty (arrogant, self-important, puffed-up) He knows from “afar off.”

Psalm 138:6 (ESV): For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.

I believe that the above passage is explaining that God does not have a close, warm relationship with haughty, pride-filled people.

However, as our opening line in this article indicates, the Lord will, in His own timing, exalt those who humble themselves before Him. We humble ourselves to God by accepting His Son (Jesus Christ) as our Savior and Lord, and by honoring and obeying His holy Word. We also honor Him by allowing Him to lead us and guide us throughout our lifetimes. This will result in our having a close and personal relationship with the living God, the Savior and Redeemer. Hallelujah!

Do You Desire Wisdom?

Do you desire wisdom? The Scriptures tell us how we may grow in wisdom.

Respect and obey the Lord! This is the first step to wisdom and good sense. God will always be respected. (Ps 111:10 CEV)

For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding . . . (Pro 2:6 NKJV)

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. ²¹Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; ²²for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. (Pro 4:20-22 NIV)

Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding. (Pro 10:23 ESV)

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver! (Pro 16:16 NIV)

. . . for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. (Lk 21:15 NKJV)

Obeying God’s wisdom should be pleasure to those of us who love and follow Christ. Obeying the wisdom of God and memorizing God’s Word will minister life and healing to all of our flesh—both to our own and to other people’s bodies! Another blessing of obeying wisdom is that it will assist us to grow in wisdom as well.

Wisdom can be defined as “the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.” The Bible goes beyond that to denote that the gift of wisdom (found in a person) is deep, inestimable, precious and rare.

Yet, wisdom is available to everyone. Hear wisdom crying out: Wisdom calls aloud outside; she raises her voice in the open squares. ²¹She cries out in the chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city she speaks her words: ²²“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. (Pro 1:20-22 NKJV)

Wisdom cries out to ALL people. She offers her gifts and blessings to all, and yet few people choose to accept her offer. Some are even annoyed by the offer and can’t be bothered to make the effort to even listen. They are too busy with their own concerns.

Sadly, even though so many people think that wisdom is unimportant, they are literally refusing to accept blessings! They are refusing life and prosperity. (Pro 8:35, 19:8 NIV) People who have wisdom preserve their lives (Pro 13:3 NIV); build a firm foundation for life (Mt 7:24 NIV); and gain understanding. (Dan 12:10 NIV)

God will give wisdom to those who ask for it. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (Jas 1:5 ESV) Yet how many ask? How many pray for wisdom?

Solomon did, and the Bible says that the Lord was so pleased that Solomon has asked for wisdom instead of riches and a long life, that God gave Solomon unparalleled wisdom, riches, fame and honor. (1 Kgs 3:8-13; 4:29-34)

Seek the wisdom of God, and God will reward and bless you. Your acquaintances will seek you out for advice and guidance, and will ask you to mentor them. Blessings upon you!

Do You Hear & Obey Instruction?

Listening to God (heeding His Word) and obeying it are momentously important to God.

The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grieves his mother. (Pro 10:1 ISV)

A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. (Pro 13:1 ESV)

Listen, children, to your father’s instruction, and pay attention in order to gain understanding. ²I give you sound teaching, so do not abandon my instruction. (Pro 4:1-2 ISV)

According to Holman’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, a brief definition of biblical obedience is “to hear God’s Word and act accordingly.”

The only “instruction” that it is imperative for us to obey is God’s Word and God’s instructions.

What are the reasons for this? Let’s consider what the Bible says:

Jesus tells us to obey. (Joh 14:15 ESV)
Our obedience, as followers of Jesus Christ, flows from a heart full of thanksgiving for God’s gift of salvation and His gift of grace. (Rom 12:1 NLT)
The Scriptures remind us repeatedly that God rewards obedience. (Gen 22:18 NLT; Lk 11:28 NKJV; Jas 1:22-25 NIV)
When we obey God and His Word, we prove how much we love Him. (1 Joh 5:2-3 NASB; 2 Joh 1:6 NLT)
The Old Testament says that “obedience is better than sacrifice.” In the Old Testament, God’s people were commanded to offer sacrifices to the Lord, but even then it was not supposed to take the place of obedience. (1 Sam 15:22)
Jesus said in John 14:15 that if we love Him we will keep His commandments.

God bless you as you read, meditate and obey God’s Word!

God Will Hasten His Plans

What does the word hasten mean? It may mean: hurry, speed, accelerate or be quick. Considering that God is an eternal being who has no beginning and no end, what does quick look like to Him?

Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. (Josh 21:45) This scriptural promise reminds us that each and every one of His words and plans is fulfilled. Let there be no doubt about that at all.

In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit. (Isa 27:6 ESV) We see that this promise has definitely come to pass. Israel became an independent nation in 1948 and has been one since then.

Then said the Lord unto me, thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it. (Jer 1:12 KJV) God will accelerate His plan in certain instances. Only He can decide what state of affairs demands a rapid response.

The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the Lord; in its time I will hasten it. (Isa 60:22 ESV, underscoring added) Our Redeemer and Lord decides who is exalted and who is not, and He is the master at choosing His perfect timing. His timing rarely coincides with man’s timing.

For the Lord will execute His Word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly. (Rom 9:28 NASB) God enacts His Word comprehensively and at a time that is often unexpected by the human being or beings involved.

Being followers of Jesus Christ and children of the Kingdom of God, we can be assured that God’s love and mercy is upon us. The Bible informs us that ‘God is love.’ (1 Joh 4:8)

If we will cheerfully obey the Lord and submit to His will for us, we can be assured that His plan for us will be far better than any plan that we could imagine for ourselves. Glory to God!

An Established Throne

As we read the Bible, we can see a consistent theme running throughout: that God desires ALWAYS to do good to His people. As we follow Christ obediently, by faith, we are one of God’s people. Furthermore, He has decreed that His throne and His kingdom shall prevail forever.

Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever. (2 Sam 7:16 NIV)

. . . ¹⁰since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. Also I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the Lord will build you a house. ¹¹And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹²He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. ¹⁴And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.” (1 Chron 17:10-14 NKJV)

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. (Ps 103:19 CEB)

A throne will be established in mercy. In the tent of David a judge will sit on the throne in truth, seeking justice, eager to bring righteousness. (Isa 16:5 EHV)

Why should God’s promise to establish a throne forever be good news to us? Here are a few points for your meditation and reflection.

God, who knows EVERYTHING, is on our side. (Ps 118:6-7 ESV; Heb 13:5)
God, who is ALL POWERFUL, is 100% for us. (Ps 56:9b; Isa 41:10; Mt 28:20)
God is all-wise, and He shares His wisdom with us through His word. (Ps 111:10; Pro 2:6; Lk 21:15; Jas 1:5)
God has good plans for each one of us. (Jer 29:11; 1 Cor 2:9)
God is our healer. (Ex 15:26; Ps 30:2; Jer 30:17; 1 Pet 2:24)
The Lord fights for us. (Deu 3:22; 20:14; Josh 23:10)
The Lord has given us the victory. (Deu 20:4; Rom 8:37; 1 Cor 15:57; Col 2:15; 1 Joh 5:4)

God’s plans for us are good. He not only fights on our side, but He has already given us the victory! Hallelujah!

Keep Away from Evil

As servants of the Living God and followers of Jesus Christ, we should have a sincere desire to stay away from evil in every form: evil thoughts; evil words; evil people; and even occasions to be tempted to commit evil. If we obey the Lord, and obey the Scriptural command to be holy (1 Pet 1:16), this will make sense to us.

By mercy and truth atonement is made for wrongdoing, and by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil. (Pro 16:6 NASB) If we have a respectful reverence for the Lord, it will keep us away from doing evil. If we have done evil in some way, and if there is an avenue open to us to make amends for it, God’s gifts of mercy and truth will guide us to the right path. For any sin that we may commit, we need to repent to the Lord and ask Him to forgive us and to cleanse us from unrighteousness. The GOOD news is that He always hears and answers these prayers for forgiveness and cleansing. Praise God!

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. (Joh 17:15 ESV) I believe Jesus was praying for all who would accept Him as their Lord and Savior and follow Him all of their days. The Lord prayed for His followers (US) to be kept away from the evil one who is satan. The evil one and his works are described in John 8:44.

But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.” (1 Cor 5:13) This is language similar to Deuteronomy 24:7 regarding excluding people, those who are indulging in evil, from the fellowship of believers.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. (Eph 4:31) The Scriptures exhort us to avoid indulging in any of these activities, because they do not honor the Lord nor do they flow from the heart of God.

Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. (1 Pet 3:11) We must always choose to reject evil actions, and turn to the Lord. When we follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we will seek and pursue peace with all of our hearts.

Let us highly value peace in our hearts, in our relationships, and in our lives. The peace of God which passes all understanding (Phil 4:7) encompasses within it wholeness, maturity, and completeness as well as freedom from turmoil and worry. Focus upon serving Jesus and doing good, and you will be blessed. Hallelujah!

Servants of Christ

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, a number of things occurred in our lives. Here are just three things that took place:

We became children of the Living God. (Rom 8:16; 1 Joh 3:1-2)
We became bondservants of Jesus Christ. (Eph 6:6; 1 Pet 2:15-16)
We passed from darkness to light. (Col 1:13)

The Scriptures show a number of apostles and disciples who identify themselves as “bondservants” of Christ. Every believer should identify with this claim.

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God . . . (Rom 1:11 NKJV)

For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. (1 Cor 7:22 ESV)

. . . not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart . . . (Eph 6:6 ESV)

A bondservant is a person who willingly becomes a slave to another person. The Mosaic Law allowed an indentured servant to become a bondservant voluntarily: “If the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life” (Exodus 21:5-6). Source: GotQuestions.org.

You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. (1 Cor 7:23 ESV) The Bible warns us NOT to become bondservants of human beings.

But we do need to settle it in our hearts that we are servants of Jesus Christ and of the Kingdom of God. We need to be submitted to God’s will and plan for each one of our lives. It’s important to remember that the Lord can see the end from the beginning. He knows every possible outcome of our own, human decisions; but if we allow Him to direct our paths, we will fulfill His will for each and every believer.

Set aside some time to spend in meditation and prayer about this important concept. Determine what yielding to the Holy Spirit will mean for your life. God bless you.

What’s Your Decision?

Whom would you rather serve? You would do well to read our last blog titled Two Paths. It will shed light upon this article.

Every human being on earth must make a decision whether to serve Jesus, the Son of the Living God; or to serve satan, known as the accuser of the brethren. (Rev 12:10)

What does the Bible say about Jesus? I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (Joh 10:10b NKJV)

The Scriptures warn us to “make our election sure.” The Lord tells us in His Word how each and every believer may confirm and safeguard his future in eternity:

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. ¹⁰Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Pet 1:5-11 NKJV, emphasis added)

After we have accepted the Lord Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer, we do well to submit ourselves to the cleansing that comes to us through daily reading and meditation upon the Bible. Read for yourself the truth of this statement:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. (Eph 5:25-27 NKJV, underscoring added)

Also, the Holy Spirit will teach us and lead us into all truth as we read the Word of God regularly. (Joh 16:13)

Trust the Lord to teach you and to guide you. Allow Him to make changes in your life day by day, year by year, and decade by decade. In so doing, you will bear fruit and make your calling and election sure! God bless you.

Two Paths

In life, there are only two paths to choose from. Please, recognize this statement for the truth that it is.

We may choose to live for God and the Kingdom of righteousness; or we may sink to serving satan who is the enemy of God and the enemy of all that is good and true, peaceful and holy.

The ancient Hebrew word for satan means “accuser” or “adversary.” Why would we want to serve the being who is named “accuser”?

My heartfelt question is “Why would anyone choose to serve the kingdom of darkness?” Let’s look at what the Scriptures have to say. I’m going to put the Bible verses in categories to help to clarify this study.

About the Kingdom of God & Jesus

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace . . . (Gal 5:22 NKJV)

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (Joh 10:10b NKJV, emphasis added)

. . . and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7 NKJV)

For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. (1 Cor 14:33 NKJV)

About the Kingdom of Darkness & satan

For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. (Jas 3:16 NKJV)

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (Joh 8:44 ESV)

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. (Joh 10:10a NKJV)

Warnings from Scripture

Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Eph 6:11 ESV) We have to protect ourselves with the spiritual tools that the Lord has given to every believer.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet 5:8 NKJV) We believers need to be vigilant and review our lives on a fairly regular basis so that we don’t allow even the smallest entry for the devil.

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. (Rev 12:20 NKJV, underscoring added) Know that the enemy will surely receive his eternal punishment which is described here.

Conclusions

The Bible informs us of key things we should know about the enemy and his realm. In the kingdom of darkness, the atmosphere is full of envy, self-seeking, confusion, lies and every evil thing. The beings who populate that realm enjoy killing, stealing, lying and destruction. The future holds a grim reality for satan and for all who choose to serve him:

The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Rev 20:10 NKJV) This is an eternal, never-ending punishment.

The Bible informs us that Jesus came to impart life not only here on earth, but for all eternity to those who accept Him as their Lord and Savior. That is why John 10:10 says “more abundantly.” When we serve Jesus and His Kingdom, we experience love, joy and peace. We become a member of the family of God. And lastly, when we become a child of God we experience the peace that passes all understanding. (Phil 4:7) Glory to God most High!

decidingvoteblog

You are the Deciding Vote! In your life, you can make decisions that will help you and bless you.

Month: September 2021