Waiting on God

We are in need of waiting on God in many circumstances of our lives. Often, we must wait for answered prayer and deliverance. We must wait for relief from pain or sorrow. We must persist in faith as we wait for healing of relationships or lab test results or any other of a myriad number of circumstances that require patience.

And it will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let’s rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” (Isa 25:9 NASB)

Let us rejoice in His salvation as we wait. Remember, it is for our God that we wait—for the ONLY One who is able to save us, heal us, and to deliver us.

Yes, Lord, in the path of your judgments we wait; your name and your Law are the soul’s desire. (Isa 26:8 ISV)

God’s Word, His Name and His Law are the important considerations upon which we concentrate. Let us continue to value them highly, and rely upon God to sustain us.

O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be our strength every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. (Isa 33:2 MEV)

He, alone, can give us strength for the battle and grace to persevere. He is our Savior in times of trouble.

Now may the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God and the endurance of Christ. (2 Thes 3:5 NET)

Let us remember the love of God which is never ending and never failing. Let’s pay close attention to the endurance of Jesus as He made His way to the cross.

Christ endured. That means that He persevered and persisted in His assignments on earth. It called for great fortitude and inner strength on His part coupled with the grace of God and the faith of God.

These are the same tools upon which we must rely in every spiritual battle of life. Let us not be weary in doing well. Glory to God!

We’re Called to Freedom

We, as followers of Jesus Christ, have been called to FREEDOM. We have not been called to legal bondage! We’re being reminded that we’re no longer under the law of the Old Testament, and that we should not try to live as the Pharisees did.

Not only are we free from the bondage of the Mosaic ceremonies, but we’re also free of sin and misery. The gospel of Jesus Christ calls all people into the law of love.

The truth of God’s Word and God’s salvation sets people free in every nation and culture on earth.

. . . and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (Joh 8:32 ASV)

. . . because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:2 CSB)

We live under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus! Hallelujah!

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Gal 5:13 ESV)

We’re called, through love, to serve one another as well as the Kingdom of God.

Now ‘the Lord’ here means the spirit; and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Cor 3:17 NTE)

Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical freedom. There is health, healing, prosperity and peace wherever the spirit of the Lord reigns. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide and govern your life.

LOVE

As we know, 1 John 4:8 teaches us that God is love. The love of God gives us stability and assurance in our faith. It surrounds us and upholds us in our daily lives. But God’s love accomplishes many other things as well.

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. (Pro 3:3 ESV)

We need to write God’s steadfast love and faithfulness upon our hearts, and one way of doing that is to memorize Bible verses about Him and His love. His Word is truth.

Mercy and truth preserve the king, and by lovingkindness he upholds his throne. (Pro 20:28 NKJV)

God’s lovingkindness actually supports, maintains and sustains His throne. Wow! What an idea worthy of meditation.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; ²and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (Eph 5:1-2 NASB)

We should walk in love, allowing it to motivate us, to lead us, and to flow from us towards other people. As we live in this way, we are being transformed by the example of our Lord and Savior.

If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit. (1 Cor 13:3 NET)

As 1 Corinthians reminds us, without love for God, for ourselves and for others, we have received nothing. This is quite an enormous truth to wrap our thoughts around, so take some time in the weeks to come to meditate upon today’s topic. God bless you.

God Doesn’t Show Favoritism

Did you know that God does not show favoritism? What exactly is favoritism? It’s the practice of giving unfair, preferential treatment to one person or group at the expense of another. God can’t be accused of such a thing.

Since the Bible is our foundation for all of faith and life, let’s refer to what it teaches.

“Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to attend to His service and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one who keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it, and holds firmly to My covenant; ⁷even those I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” (Isa 56:6-7 NASB)

Notice that God’s house is for ALL PEOPLES—even those termed ‘foreigners.’

Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. ³⁵In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. (Ac 10:34-35 NLT)

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Ro 10:12-13 ESV)

It doesn’t matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, or if you are circumcised or not. You may even be a barbarian or a Scythian, and you may be a slave or a free person. Yet Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. (Col 3:11 CEV)

As we can see from these verses in Acts 10, Romans 10 and Colossians 3, it’s an established truth that God does not see distinctions between people groups. What is important to the Lord is the condition of our hearts and whether or not we have received Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. God is a refuge and a rock for all who are born again in Christ. All praises to the Lord!

God’s Covenant Faithfulness

The Bible mentions a number of covenants, but today we are choosing to focus upon God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises, which is another word for covenants.

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. (Gen 9:13 KJV)

The rainbow was a token of God’s promise that He would never again flood the entire earth to destroy it. We know that He has kept His promise.

Know that the Lord your God is God, the trusted God who faithfully keeps his covenant to the thousandth generation of those who love him and obey his commands. (Deu 7:9 ISV)

In this verse, the Bible reminds us that God keeps His Word to a thousand generations to those who love Him and are obedient to His commands. In other words, we can trust God and we can safely rely upon His Word.

^“It is the Lord who goes before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you or forsake you; do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deu 31:8 RSV)

God goes before us, and He is always with each and every believer. The Lord will never fail us or reject us, because it is not in His personality to do so.

Now therefore, if you will faithfully obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My special possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is Mine. (Exod 19:5 MEV)

All of us who obey God’s voice and keep His covenants are His chosen people, and are very precious to Him. The Lord reminds us in this passage that the whole earth belongs to Him, and everything that is in it. Rejoice in the fact that you belong to Him!

In All Situations, God is With Us

It’s an important fact to remember that God is always with us. He always loves us and always fights for us. He will NEVER forsake us.

Let’s look at what the Scriptures tell us:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isa 43:2 NIV)

No matter what fiery trial may have come upon you, don’t forget that Jesus is in the midst of the fire WITH YOU. We never walk alone, once we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’ (Isa 41:10 AMP)

God is with us at all times to strengthen us, to help us, and to hold our hands. And His hands are full of justice, power, victory, and salvation. Praise God!

I’ve commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go. (Josh 1:9 CEV)

No matter where we go, the Lord commands us to be strong and to be brave. We should not be afraid or discouraged. Now that’s a pretty big ask. To never be afraid—to never be discouraged—it seems almost too much to ask.

But if we really meditate upon the fact that Jesus is with us, facing every foe and looking every challenge right in the face, right along WITH us, it will not seem quite so impossible. Remember that Jesus carries justice, power, victory and salvation wherever He is.

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. (2 Tim 4:17 ESV)

Even so, we will be able to testify that ‘I was rescued from the lion’s mouth’ right along with thousands of other believers. All glory to God most High!

Don’t Make Yourself God’s Enemy

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have chosen to follow Christ above all things, especially above the world. Jesus taught that we cannot be loved by this world because we are not truly a part of it.

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Mt 6:24 CEB)

The Bible reminds us that we can’t serve two different masters. So we must make a clear and firm choice about our allegiance.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, the world therefore hates you. (Joh 15:19 MEV)

The world hates Christians because Jesus chose us out of the world, and we chose Jesus. We have put Jesus first above all other relationships, alliances, and commitments.

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (Jam 4:4 NKJV)

Friendship with the world equals hostility toward God and the Word of God. Many in the world malign and ridicule believers, and all those who value the Bible.

Stop loving the world and the things that are in the world. If anyone persists in loving the world, the Father’s love is not in him. ¹⁶For everything that is in the world—the desire for fleshly gratification, the desire for possessions, and worldly arrogance—is not from the Father but is from the world. (1 Joh 2:15-16 ISV)

Everything—EVERYTHING—that is in the world [ambition, avariciousness, passions, arrogance] is connected with this world’s way of doing things; and does not connect to a love of God the Father.

As we continue to choose to follow Jesus and to obey God’s Word, we would do well to seek God’s face and ask Him for continuing grace to live a holy life. We know that God hears and answers our prayers, so we may pray with confidence and assurance. God bless you.

Pursue a Peaceful Life

There are great spiritual benefits to pursuing a peaceful and peace-filled life.

Not only should we each pursue this way of life, according to the Bible, but we should endeavor to generate a peaceful atmosphere wherever we go. Now, let’s look at what the Bible says to us on this subject.

Seek peace and pursue it. (Ps 34:14 ASV)

Deceit is in the heart of them that devise evil; but to the counsellors of peace is joy. (Pro 12:20 ASV)

Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit. (Pro 12:12 NIV)

“Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.” (Mt 5:9 CEB)

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Heb 12:14 ESV)

Those who advise a peaceful resolution to problems or issues receive the reward of joy. That is a beautiful blessing to desire and to receive.

The basis of peace in negotiations generates a good harvest in all of its endeavors. Peacemakers are happy because they are known as children of God.

We’re instructed in God’s Word to work toward peace with everyone, as well to make every effort to live a holy life. The result of obeying the Bible is that we are enabled to live a life that is rewarding, fulfilling, and blessed by God. Praise the Lord!

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Month: December 2022