Tag: good things

Recognize God’s Involvement

Recognize God’s Involvement

When good things happen in our lives—promotion; a raise in pay; an unexpected lump sum of money; success in business—we must recognize that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father in heaven.  (Jas 1:17)

Don’t think to yourself, my own strength and abilities have produced all this prosperity for me.  (Deu 8:17 CEB)

He answered me:  “This is the Lord’s word to Zerubbabel:  Neither by power, nor by strength, but by my spirit, says the Lord of heavenly forces.”  (Zech 4:6 CEB)

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.  (2 Cor 4:7)

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  (Eph 2:8-9)

Nothing is ever accomplished solely through human might or power!  We must never try to grab the glory that belongs to God alone.  We don’t ever want to be like the rich fool that Jesus taught about in Luke 12:13-21 where God said to the man:  ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

We can see from the Bible verses that I have shown above that:

  • Anything good that is accomplished is not by might or power but by the Spirit of God.
  • The power that we have to work and to accomplish good things is from God and not us.
  • Even our faith is a gift from God!

Acknowledge the Lord’s goodness to you whenever you receive praise, or awards, or blessings in any form.  All glory to God!

God Blesses Our Food & Drink

God Blesses Our Food & Drink

How often do we realize that God protects us in many and varied ways, DAILY?  He blesses even our food and drink!  Let’s think about this and see what God says.

So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. (Ex 23:25) 

God’s promise is to bless [sanctify, approve, validate] everything that we eat and drink as well as to remove [eradicate] sickness and disease from within us.  If we truly believe and stand upon this promise of God, it will operate in our circumstances. 

Why is God’s blessing upon our food important to us? 

Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  (Ps 103:5) 

God not only blesses us with the provision of food to eat, but by His blessing upon our food and drink, God renews our youth day by day, moment-by-moment! 

. . . because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.  (Neh 13:2)

In Nehemiah 13, God not only set Himself against Israel’s enemies, but He also reversed the curse placed upon His people and He caused the Israelites to be blessed. 

We are God’s New Covenant people and He has given us even BETTER promises than He gave to the people in the Old Testament!  (Heb 8:6)  It’s time to acquaint ourselves with what belongs to us through Jesus, our Lord and Savior!

I encourage you to read the Bible every day to collect and to meditate upon the blessings and precious promises that Jesus suffered and died to purchase for each and every one of His children. 

God Satisfies Us with Good Things

God Satisfies Us with Good Things

. . . for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.  (Ps 107:9 NIV)

Psalm 107 is a song of praise to God for His many blessings.  He gives food and drink to the hungry and thirsty.  Praise God!

The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.  (Ps 34:10)

When we focus upon the Lord and upon His promises to us, and ask Him to provide what we need, believers will receive answers to prayer. 

. . . who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free. . .  (Ps 146:7)  The Lord feeds and delivers all those who trust in Him.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  (Mt 5:6)  Those who crave God’s spiritual blessings shall be filled or overwhelmed with them thanks to the salvation that God has supplied through Jesus.

He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.  (Lk 1:53)  We can trust that when we are hungry or needy for God’s help and deliverance, He will faithfully meet all of our needs through our Savior and Lord, Jesus. 

Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.  (Ps 103:5)  By God’s generous hand, believers can retain youthful vitality like the eagles. 

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.  (Ps 84:11) This verse insists upon the goodness of God by stating—unequivocally—that there is NO GOOD THING that God will deny to or withhold from the upright. 

If you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, then you are justified by the blood of Jesus and you qualify as “upright”!!  These precious and reliable promises are for you.  Hallelujah!

Brotherly Love

Brotherly Love

Let brotherly love continue.  (Heb 13:1)

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another . . . (Rom 12:10)

But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another . . . (1 Thes 4:9)

What is “brotherly love”?  It is having a love for all mankind.  This is the kind of love that desires the best for other people; helps others; and prays for good things to happen to other people.

We are called by God to love all mankind because all humanity was created by God in His image, and due to that fact, can be called children of God.    The Lord tells us that if we say that we love Him but we hate our brother, then we must be lying!  (1 Joh 4:20)  Also, it is a commandment of God that we love one another!  (Joh 13:34, see also 1 Joh 3:11)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  (1 Joh 4:7)

The Bible says that one characteristic of a true disciple of Jesus Christ is that they demonstrate love for other people.  (Joh 13:35)  The Word goes on to point out that brothers (and sisters) suffer together and share joy together.  (1 Cor 12:26)

Brotherly/sisterly affection and love covers [overlooks, forgives] a multitude of sins.  (1 Pet 4:8) 

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.  (Rom 13:10)  Brotherly and sisterly love for other people is a fulfillment of the highest law that the Lord has given to us, that we love one another!

Good Things to Know

Good Things to Know

Greetings, friends!  Here are some lessons I’ve learned along my way.  These are applicable to and useful for all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.

  • As soon as you receive an assignment from the Lord (which might come through your Pastor; the person who is your spiritual covering; or the Holy Spirit), you’re anointed to fulfill it!  (Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18)  Anointed = empowered or enabled to act; set apart
  • Jesus is the Lord of your spirit, soul, and body.  (Acts 2:36; 1 Cor. 8:6; Phil. 2:11)
  • Your anointing is sufficient for your life and your world.  (2 Cor. 1:21, 22)
  • We’re anointed to KNOW things.  (1John 2:20)
  • Decree and agree with what the Bible says about you.  (Numbers 22:35, 38; Mark 11:23)
  • Guard your heart.  (Prov. 4:23-27; Phil. 4:7)
  • Pray in the Spirit.  (Romans 8:26; 1 Cor. 14:13-15; Ephes. 6:18)
  • Walk in love; faith works by love.  (Gal. 5:6)  Daily life will test your love. 
  • A disciple of Christ performs signs and wonders.  (Acts 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8)
  • Meditation upon the Scriptures transforms our belief system!  (Ps. 19:14; 49:3; Phil. 4:8; 1 Tim. 4:15)
  • You are delivered from the POWER of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of Jesus Christ.  (Colossians 1:13, 14)

Enjoy your extraordinary, spiritual journey, friends!

Have Confidence in the Lord

It is vital for us to have confidence in the Lord.  I’m talking about having the kind of confidence in the Lord that Paul had when he wrote this verse:

But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.  (Rom 15:29)

Paul could make this bold statement because he knew who he was in Christ.  He had confidence in the Word of God, and he had confidence in his relationship with Jesus, our Savior.  This is the same confidence that each and every one of us may have.  All we need to do is to nurture our confidence!

Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.  (Ac 28:30-31)

For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.  (Pro 3:26)

But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”  (2 Cor 10:17)  Another word for “glories” is boasts.  So this verse reminds us to boast in the Lord.  Paul knew how to do that.

We know that when signs, wonders, and miracles take place in our ministry, it is the Lord who performs those wonders!  We know that He alone is the Healer and Deliverer.  Paul knew that it was natural and normal to expect good things from the God who is good all the time.  This is the kind of confidence that we want to nurture in our hearts.

We nurture our confidence in the Lord by reading and meditating upon the Scriptures.  We do it with praise and worship of our God on a regular and ongoing basis.  As our relationship with the Lord stands the test of time, we mature and grow in our faith as well as in our confidence.

Trust the Lord and His Word.  Rely upon His Word and believe it when it says of itself:

Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass. (Josh 21:45)

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  (Mat 24:35)

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  (1 Cor 1:18)

Feed your confidence! 

Beauty

Beauty

“Beauty will save the world.”  ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.  (Ps 50:2)

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”  (Isa 52:7)

What is Zion and why is it important to Christians? 

Jerusalem and Zion are one and the same city.  Zion was the place of God’s special presence among His people, and the place where they turned for help and deliverance.  Jerusalem has been the holiest city in Judaism and the ancestral and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people since the 10th century BCE (before Common Era).  During classical antiquity, Jerusalem was considered the center of the world, where God resided.

What does all of this have to do with our topic of beauty?  Because God promises to shine forth out of Zion, which is called the perfection of beauty! 

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.  (Ps 33:1)

The Word of God reminds us that praise is beautiful—not only in the sight of God but in the sight of men, as well.  If I happen to find a television program that is broadcasting a praise and worship service, I find it so beautiful to see that I’m moved to tears.

. . . rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.  (1 Pet 3:4, emphasis added)

In this verse from first Peter, the Word of God tells us that a gentle and quiet spirit is indestructibly beautiful!  It is also very treasured by our God.  So, we see that God considers salvation to be a beautiful thing, along with our praises to Him.

It is this inner quality of beauty that God commends and which the entire world unerringly recognizes!  We will achieve this level of beauty as we obey God and seek to follow Him.  He is the only One who transforms lives because He is the glory and the lifter of our heads!  (Ps 3:3)  Because His Spirit lives within each one of us, His beauty will shine forth through us.

This is why Isaiah 52:7 (at top of this article) calls the feet of those who spread the Gospel “beautiful feet”!  We all may confidently pursue this beauty that shines forth from our inner man.