Carrying Out the Will of God

Do you think that carrying out the will of God is very important to Jesus, our Savior? Yes, indeed, it is! The Bible has quite a bit to say on this subject.

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Mt 12:50, underscoring added) Accomplishing the will of God on this earth qualifies us to be members of the family of God.

But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” (Lk 8:21) Those who are members of the family of God, not only hear the word of God but we perform it. Jesus says so.

You are my friends if you do what I command you. (Joh 15:14) I want to be a friend of Jesus and a friend of God. There is only one way to be God’s friend, and that is to carry out the will of God.

And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 Joh 2:17) One of God’s precious promises to us is that all who do the will of God will live forever.

Meditating upon the Bible, honoring the Word of God, and continuously executing the instructions found within its pages will make us people who “do the will of God” and earn God’s favor and His blessings. Hallelujah!

Secrets

Are you a person who enjoys having a secret? Do you have secrets of your own to protect—that you do not want to be revealed?

Well, our Father in heaven has secrets that He will share only with His children. God also knows every secret of every human being on earth; nothing is hidden from Him.

I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, am the God of Israel. (Isa 45:3 NKJV, underscoring added) There are hidden riches in undisclosed places which are known only to God, and He has promised to give these blessings to His own children.

He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. (Dan 2:22 NKJV) Only our God and Savior is able to reveal to us His deep and secret things in such a way that they will be useful, helpful, and fruitful to us.

When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you. (Mt 6:6 CEV) When this passage states that God knows what happens in private, it is saying that God sees and knows what is done secretly.

This proves that the conscience is like a law written in the human heart. And it will show whether we are forgiven or condemned, ¹⁶when God appoints Jesus Christ to judge everyone’s secret thoughts, just as my message says. (Rom 2:15-16 CEV) God knows even our secret thoughts! And He loves us no matter what they may be.

Praise God! He can make you strong by means of my good news, which is the message about Jesus Christ. For ages and ages this message was kept secret . . . (Rom 16:25 CEV) We are so blessed that the Good News of salvation is no longer a secret but has been revealed to all mankind. Glory to God most High!

Sweet Meditations on Scriptures

It is a blessing of our salvation that we may have sweet meditations using the promises of God.

The Bible says: For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. (Pro 23:7a) Our very thoughts govern our actions, according to the Bible. So if we meditate upon Scriptures and the promises found therein, we can write God’s laws and blessings into our hearts and even into our lives!

My meditation of Him shall be sweet; I will be glad in the Lord. (Ps 104:34 KJ21) We have the privilege to think about all of the beautiful and precious attributes that belong to our Savior and God. And doing so will cause us to praise and worship and rejoice in the Him.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer. (Ps 19:14 KJ21) If we would like our words to be acceptable to God, we will memorize Bible passages, because our words flow from our hearts and thoughts. And meditating upon the promises of God will always be acceptable to God, for it is one of the purposes for which He gave us His written Word.

I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Thy testimonies are my meditation. (Ps 119:99 KJ21) This Scripture communicates to us that we can be wiser than our teachers by making Bible passages our frequent meditation, and by obeying and honoring God’s Word. Why is that? Because the wisdom of God is found within the Word of God, and He is willing and happy to share His wisdom with us. Blessings upon you!

Life is About Much More Than Possessions

Life on earth is comprised of human beings, needs, wants/desires, relationships, jobs/callings, accomplishments, and many more categories. It would be a challenge to try to list everything that is included in day to day human life because it can be very broad and very detailed. It would cover too much to be able to list, in reality.

One trait that is negative that is sometimes a part of human life is greed. Thankfully, it isn’t everywhere or in all people, but it is certainly there and it is definitely negative.

The Lord has been teaching humanity various lessons since the beginning of creation. Here are some samples from His Word.

But He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.” (Lk 12:15 NASB) This is a warning against greed and an inordinate affection for possessions.

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (Col 3:5 NKJV) Covetousness (another word for greed) is named among a list of sins in the Bible.

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb 13:5 NKJV) This passage in the Bible instructs us to be free of greed, and to be content with what we have.

Rather, we are told to remember what is TRULY important: that Jesus has promised us that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

What a beautiful and meaningful promise from our Savior!

What is a Buckler?

When we read certain versions of the Bible, there are terms or words used that we may not understand. I know in the King James Version of the Bible, there are quite a number of words that are not used in modern times and they can confuse us.

One such term is the word buckler. Here are the definitions of this word:

1a: a small round shield held by a handle at arm’s length. 1b: a shield worn on the left arm. 2: one that shields and protects.

Here are several Bible verses that use this word.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Ps 18:2 NKJV, emphasis added)

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. (2 Sam 22:31 NKJV, emphasis added)

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. (Ps 91:14 NKJV, emphasis added)

As you can see from the definitions of the word buckler, you’ll notice that it was a means of protection; it could be worn on the left arm; and it could be said of One who shields and protects. Clearly the third definition seems to best apply to the Lord. He is certainly One who shields us and protects us. He is like a mother bird who protects her young under the shelter of her own wings. (Ps 91:14)

God’s truth is also called our shield and buckler. (Ps 91:14) Since God and His Word are in total unity, it is not surprising that He and His Word are portrayed by the same words. Just remember whenever you need shielding or protecting, you should turn to our Redeemer and Savior, Jesus. He will not fail to protect you!

God Calls Us to Love Our Christian Family, Pt. 2

This is part two on this topic of loving our Christian brothers and sisters. This is a very important subject to the Lord. He has included so much information in His Word for us about this very thing.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. (1 Joh 4:11-12 NKJV)

As we demonstrate and live in a helpful, loving way toward our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are revealing to the world, and to anyone who cares to notice, that God abides in us. It is His life in us that enables and empowers us to serve one another in love.

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (Joh 15:12) Jesus modeled loving service in His life on earth. He showed love to His followers and to all those who came to Him for help or for teaching. The Lord Jesus is completely entitled to tell us to follow His example.

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. (1 Joh 3:10) This says it quite baldly: an unrighteous life and an unloving attitude to a brother is proof that we are NOT ‘of God.’ Wow! The only alternative to being ‘of God’ is to be a child of the devil, and we absolutely do NOT WANT to be identified as that.

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (1 Joh 4:20 NKJV) How can we possibly say that we love God if we can’t show love and helpfulness to people with whom we can interact, communicate, and see! God is being completely reasonable here.

Here are some hints on ways to show love to others:

Be kind
Be open-minded, friendly, and able to make the first move
Empathize
Be genuine
Expect nothing in return
Be a good listener
Allow others to make their own decisions
Love in small ways
Keep showing up, and
Look for ways that you can be of help to the individual or family.

We can do this because God has said that we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS! (Rom 8:37) Hallelujah!

God Calls Us to Love Our Christian Family, Pt. 1

We have received spiritual assignments due to the fact that all believers comprise the body of Christ on earth. Because we are children of God, we are His representatives wherever we go and with whoever we meet. Here are some scriptures concerning some of our instructions/assignments:

Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. (1 Pet 2:17 NKJV, underscoring added)

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. (1 Joh 3:10 NKJV)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 Joh 4:7-8 NKJV, underscoring added)

1 John 4:7 clearly states that ‘love is of God.’ That means that love is the description of and the province of God. We are instructed to love the brotherhood (1 Pet 2:17)—which means that we should love all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. It goes without saying that we are also instructed to love ALL people (1 Joh 4:7).

We are encouraged to honor all people, as well. (1 Pet 2:17) Honor means to esteem, respect, or admire someone. Wow! Can you think about giving honor to ALL PEOPLE? That’s a huge responsibility and a tremendous challenge. The only way that we can fulfill this command is to ask God to give us His grace and His blessing to enable us to obey.

Critical and significant assignments from our Savior require us to walk closely with Him in unity and companionship. Only by an obedient and humble relationship with the Lord will we be able to receive the grace, insights and the wisdom that we need to enable us to fulfill our assignments. God is our strength and our song! (Ex 15:2; Ps 118:14) All glory to God most High!

Can Anything Separate Us from God’s Love?

Here’s something positive to focus upon and to meditate upon. God’s love for us is stronger than any force that would try to interrupt it or stop it. His love for us is eternal, unfailing and sacrificial.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39 NKJV)

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Eph 5:2 NKJV, underscoring added)

“I made your name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have for me may be in them and I myself may be in them.” (John 17:26 ISV)

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. (1 Cor 13:8 NKJV)

Most human beings desire and need to feel loved. It is a normal and healthy need that I believe our creator God instilled in us. And since God is love (1 Joh 4:8), He is the perfect One to fulfill the need that we have for love.

From the Bible verses I’ve included above, you can see a small sample of what God has to share with us in His Word about His wonderful love. The best way to learn about His love and the enduring nature of it is to read and to meditate upon His Word. His Word is not only His promises to us but His Word is also His will for us!

God has created each one of us to be in a loving and lasting relationship with Him. Turn to Him when you need comfort and reassurance. Pray to Him when you need human arms to hold you, help you and to comfort you. He will send you some friends or relatives who will be able and willing to meet your need for love. Glory to God!

[C1]

Leave a Little Sparkle Wherever You Go

All believers have the life of the Spirit of God within them. We carry His glory in our ‘earthen vessels.’ (2 Cor 4:6-7)

The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. (Zec 9:16 NIV, emphasis added)

The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. (Isa 60:3 NKJV, emphasis added)

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Mt 5:16 NIV)

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. (2 Cor 2:14 ESV)

We who follow the Lord Jesus, as obedient and loyal human sheep, have been privileged and blessed to carry the kingdom of God with us. It is our calling and our honor to shine the light of God’s love, mercy and wisdom into every situation and exchange in which we take part.

When unsaved, hurting and needy people interact with us, they should walk away with the sense that they have encountered someone who is out of the ordinary, good, and encouraging. This is because we are called to perform good works and good deeds. We are called to SHINE a light into dark places, into dark troubles, and into evil practices.

We are reminded in 2 Corinthians 2:14 that Christ leads us in triumph and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of HIM everywhere! A fragrance is defined as: a pleasant, sweet smell; a sweet or delicate aroma; and a pleasing odor. It is true that the experiential knowledge of Jesus and a deep relationship with him is evidenced by a positive atmosphere, and even an attractive fragrance such as a perfume. All of these Scriptures encourage us to be a force for good as representatives of the Kingdom here on earth. Go ahead and leave a little sparkle (of the love and goodness of Jesus) wherever you go!

decidingvoteblog

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

Month: December 2021