James 4:7 is a fairly familiar verse: Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
And James 4:8 is familiar, too: Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you(Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hears ye double minded.) [I put the last couple of phrases in quotes, because that usually isn't quoted with the first portion, even though that is the entire verse.]
Both verses hold great truths. When you submit yourself to God and resist the devil, the devil will flee from you.
And when you bring yourself close to God, God will come close to you.
But until today I haven't consciously realized those are back to back verses. That they are together in thought.
We first must submit to God. We must give up our desires, our plans, our ideas and submit to him. In that submission, we must resist Satan. We must resist what he offers us, we must resist his temptations to sin. When we keep doing that, submitting and resisting, Satan will flee from us.
I believe that is because God has come closer to us. When we submit to God, and resist Satan, we naturally come close to God. And because we come close to God, God promises to come close to us. And when that happens, Satan flees. Not because of us, but because of God. He flees from the glory and power of God!
But the verse doesn't end there. Once we draw close to God, we are commanded to cleanse our hands and to purify our hearts. I think that is referring to this: Once we submit to God's way of thinking and doing, and when we resist Satan, thus drawing close to God and he to us, and when Satan flees from us, we need to wash our hands from the deeds we had been doing before this process started. We need to cleanse our lives from the dirt that covered us while we were drawing nigh to Satan.
One step of that is going back to those we may have hurt during that time, seeking forgiveness and reconciliation. And then seeking forgiveness from God. And then saturating ourself with the cleaning power of God's word and His Spirit.
And after we cleanse our hands, we need to purify our hearts. But James calls us something interesting in this verse: he calls us double minded. So I think he is referring to Christians who beforehand were serving God with one hand, and bringing him shame with the other. Those people that wanted to serve God, and yet wanted to serve self.
So, he's addressing those double minded Christians: "Submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will from you because when you come close to God, God will come close to you. Now once you are back in submission and fellowship with God, wash yourselves from those things you were doing. Cleanse the dirt from your hands. Also, purify your hearts, your double minded."
We are to purify, make pure, our hearts. No longer should there be even a smudge of desire to serve self and Satan. No more double mindedness. No more impurities. We are to purify our hearts and cleanse our hands.
"Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye double minded."
-Kevin
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Where is your Focus?
My church has a youth group for teenagers. And with the youth group is a system--program-- that is established so the teens can learn more about God.
Sometimes that system/program is abused. The program has a point-system. When you do your devotions you get points--when you do them on the right days you get additional points. When you say verses, go to church, take sermon notes, participate in different ministries, come up with projects to do for missions--when you do all of that you get points.
There is nothing inherently wrong with that. It is a program that rewards students for actions that will, ideally, produce fruit and enable them to grow.
However, occasionally the focus is transplanted from growth and onto points. The pressure to spend time with God is no longer there because it presents a road to fellowship with God, but rather because it earns points for our team. No longer should we read books on Christian living and do a book report on it to enrich our lives, instead do it for the points. No longer are missionaries being blessed for the purpose of the furtherance of God's kingdom, but rather to earn the most points possible in that category.
Not saying EVERY time a verse is said, a day of devotions done, is it done purely for the points. Nor am I saying every time leaders pressure their followers to do those things, the pressure is for the points.
I can't evaluate the hearts. I can't rightly judge the motives. So I give you this admonition: In everything you do, do it for God's glory; In everything you do, do it for the right reasons.
Your goal in life is to be like Christ, is to abide in Christ, is to walk in to the Spirit. So when you memorize verses, when you read Christian living books, when you spend time in God's Word you should have a motive of growing closer to God. Your focus should be on the cross, on Jesus, not on points or temporal rewards.
It is your decision personally to focus on the right motives. Everyone else around you may be urging you to do your devotions, or to say verses, or to sing in the choir "because it is what you should do," or "because we want to win the year," but it is your responsibility to focus on abiding in Christ.
When you focus on the temporal stress builds. You become a robot. You HAVE to do this or that or you will bring your team down. You HAVE to do this or that or your leaders will chide you for throwing away points.
But when you focus on the eternal, none of that matters. You see doing your devotions as getting closer to God. And that has a much greater reward. When you do things to grow closer, you see that you are closer to God. And when you get closer to God, God moves closer to you. When you abide in Christ, God will produce fruit through you. You will bear the fruit of the Spirit(love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance).
Sometimes that system/program is abused. The program has a point-system. When you do your devotions you get points--when you do them on the right days you get additional points. When you say verses, go to church, take sermon notes, participate in different ministries, come up with projects to do for missions--when you do all of that you get points.
There is nothing inherently wrong with that. It is a program that rewards students for actions that will, ideally, produce fruit and enable them to grow.
However, occasionally the focus is transplanted from growth and onto points. The pressure to spend time with God is no longer there because it presents a road to fellowship with God, but rather because it earns points for our team. No longer should we read books on Christian living and do a book report on it to enrich our lives, instead do it for the points. No longer are missionaries being blessed for the purpose of the furtherance of God's kingdom, but rather to earn the most points possible in that category.
Not saying EVERY time a verse is said, a day of devotions done, is it done purely for the points. Nor am I saying every time leaders pressure their followers to do those things, the pressure is for the points.
I can't evaluate the hearts. I can't rightly judge the motives. So I give you this admonition: In everything you do, do it for God's glory; In everything you do, do it for the right reasons.
Your goal in life is to be like Christ, is to abide in Christ, is to walk in to the Spirit. So when you memorize verses, when you read Christian living books, when you spend time in God's Word you should have a motive of growing closer to God. Your focus should be on the cross, on Jesus, not on points or temporal rewards.
It is your decision personally to focus on the right motives. Everyone else around you may be urging you to do your devotions, or to say verses, or to sing in the choir "because it is what you should do," or "because we want to win the year," but it is your responsibility to focus on abiding in Christ.
When you focus on the temporal stress builds. You become a robot. You HAVE to do this or that or you will bring your team down. You HAVE to do this or that or your leaders will chide you for throwing away points.
But when you focus on the eternal, none of that matters. You see doing your devotions as getting closer to God. And that has a much greater reward. When you do things to grow closer, you see that you are closer to God. And when you get closer to God, God moves closer to you. When you abide in Christ, God will produce fruit through you. You will bear the fruit of the Spirit(love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance).
Saturday, January 1, 2011
All things new.
Well, it is a new year. A fresh start. Although we get a fresh start each morning, the start of a new year bring hope of a beginning of a whole year. Let's forget those sad, irritating, gut-wrenching, anger-filled, annoying moments of 2010. Let us remove all bitterness and wrath and malice and anger from our hearts as we begin this year. What is past is passed(I've only heard this phrase, never really seen it written. So perhaps "passed" is what is being said, and not "past." Meaning, our past has passed. It is no longer our present, so we should stop treating it as such.)
We should swallow our pride and forgive those who have wronged us. We should throw off the blankets of despair we had cast on the light of hope within our hearts.
A new year brings a new hope, a new slate, a new resolve, a new(or refreshed) focus.
If you have screwed up in the past year, ask God for forgiveness, ask other you've hurt for forgiveness, then forget it(not the lessons you learned the hard way, but the incidents).
January 1, 2011 should be a day where the chest of heartache be burnt. That chest only hurts us in the long run, so set a flame to it. Let the fire devour that hatred, that anger, that unwillingness to forgive, that bitterness.
Once you destroy that chest of heartache and negative emotions, build a chest of hope and love and mercy. Choose to lock things away in your heart that encourage you. Lock away verses in that chest, or songs or friends, or incidents where you were lifted out of miry clay in life.
It's a brand new day--a brand new year. Resolve to purge everything in your heart that keeps you anger and bitter and sad and hurt. Resolve to purge everything TODAY.
Ezekiel 36:25-27
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].
Philippians 3:13-14
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 12:10-15
For they verily for a few days chastened [us] after their own pleasure; but he for [our] profit, that [we] might be partakers of his holiness.
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled;
Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.
Lamentations 3:21-26
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
[It is of] the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
[They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.
The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.
[It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Isaiah 43:18-19
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.
Revelation 21:5
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
We should swallow our pride and forgive those who have wronged us. We should throw off the blankets of despair we had cast on the light of hope within our hearts.
A new year brings a new hope, a new slate, a new resolve, a new(or refreshed) focus.
If you have screwed up in the past year, ask God for forgiveness, ask other you've hurt for forgiveness, then forget it(not the lessons you learned the hard way, but the incidents).
January 1, 2011 should be a day where the chest of heartache be burnt. That chest only hurts us in the long run, so set a flame to it. Let the fire devour that hatred, that anger, that unwillingness to forgive, that bitterness.
Once you destroy that chest of heartache and negative emotions, build a chest of hope and love and mercy. Choose to lock things away in your heart that encourage you. Lock away verses in that chest, or songs or friends, or incidents where you were lifted out of miry clay in life.
It's a brand new day--a brand new year. Resolve to purge everything in your heart that keeps you anger and bitter and sad and hurt. Resolve to purge everything TODAY.
Ezekiel 36:25-27
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].
Philippians 3:13-14
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 12:10-15
For they verily for a few days chastened [us] after their own pleasure; but he for [our] profit, that [we] might be partakers of his holiness.
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled;
Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.
Lamentations 3:21-26
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
[It is of] the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
[They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.
The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.
[It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Isaiah 43:18-19
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.
Revelation 21:5
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Regrets
Just some scattered thoughts about regrets.
I started researching verses for this blog entry because some feelings of regrets have crept into my mind. I was going to find verses similar to "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" under the concept that regrets occur when we aren't conscientious about our surrenders and say/do things, or don't say/don't do things.
Just to touch on that... We need to live without any blinders on. We need to be fully aware of what is going on. Sometimes we miss opportunities to allow God to encourage someone through us, or we might be ignorant of facts and assume the worst(Either for someone else, or assume you are responsible--[pride?]), or we do or say something because we are "in the moment."
Be careful with your words and actions. You don't get a redo. What you say and do will remain etched in history.
But, going beyond that, I found a verse written by Paul: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (Phil. 3:13)
I also came upon a blog that states how regretful thinking produces depressive thinking.
So that's where I'll place the main focus on this entry. Regret begets depression. And depression saps us of our energy--rendering us, eventually, useless for God. (Is that not Satan's foundational tactic--to cause us to not be able to serve God?)
Regret is when we look behind us(Sometimes with fresh eyes and new knowledge) and kick ourselves for not seeing such and such, for doing such and such, for saying such and such. Then we begin to feel bad about it. Wishing we would've been more observant, more knowledgeable.
At least in my situation, I begin to connect dots to the present. "What if because I did this or that...what if so/so is treating me this way, or thinks of me this way?" And obviously that is when regret produces depression and produces sin.
What is past is past. We can't change it. We can only learn and adapt from it.
When we give into regret we put on the same blinders that blocked our view in the first place when this all began. And when that happens, we are susceptible to overlooking things, saying or doing things that will cause us regret in the future.
Regret has its place--but only for momentary review. In order to grow, we must acknowledge our shortfalls. But we won't grow if we remain down. We have to stand up and live with an adapted knowledge and perspective.
So, if you are regretting a decision, look to that for a moment, learn, adapt, then forget it and look to the future--look to adaption. If you sinned, then get it right(Note: Sin against man requires getting it right with God and man. Sin against God only requires getting it right with God).
-Kevin
I started researching verses for this blog entry because some feelings of regrets have crept into my mind. I was going to find verses similar to "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" under the concept that regrets occur when we aren't conscientious about our surrenders and say/do things, or don't say/don't do things.
Just to touch on that... We need to live without any blinders on. We need to be fully aware of what is going on. Sometimes we miss opportunities to allow God to encourage someone through us, or we might be ignorant of facts and assume the worst(Either for someone else, or assume you are responsible--[pride?]), or we do or say something because we are "in the moment."
Be careful with your words and actions. You don't get a redo. What you say and do will remain etched in history.
But, going beyond that, I found a verse written by Paul: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (Phil. 3:13)
I also came upon a blog that states how regretful thinking produces depressive thinking.
So that's where I'll place the main focus on this entry. Regret begets depression. And depression saps us of our energy--rendering us, eventually, useless for God. (Is that not Satan's foundational tactic--to cause us to not be able to serve God?)
Regret is when we look behind us(Sometimes with fresh eyes and new knowledge) and kick ourselves for not seeing such and such, for doing such and such, for saying such and such. Then we begin to feel bad about it. Wishing we would've been more observant, more knowledgeable.
At least in my situation, I begin to connect dots to the present. "What if because I did this or that...what if so/so is treating me this way, or thinks of me this way?" And obviously that is when regret produces depression and produces sin.
What is past is past. We can't change it. We can only learn and adapt from it.
When we give into regret we put on the same blinders that blocked our view in the first place when this all began. And when that happens, we are susceptible to overlooking things, saying or doing things that will cause us regret in the future.
Regret has its place--but only for momentary review. In order to grow, we must acknowledge our shortfalls. But we won't grow if we remain down. We have to stand up and live with an adapted knowledge and perspective.
So, if you are regretting a decision, look to that for a moment, learn, adapt, then forget it and look to the future--look to adaption. If you sinned, then get it right(Note: Sin against man requires getting it right with God and man. Sin against God only requires getting it right with God).
-Kevin
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wherefore let him that Thinketh he Standeth...
For years I've been struggling with a certain sin. Recently, however, God has placed tons of stuff in my life that has driven me before His throne. Friends, family, life decisions, etc. And because of that(perhaps), I have seen in my life a decrease in committing that sin. Occasionally, I would think "Perhaps I have come to wear this won't be as big of a problem."
But then Satan hid behind a corner, then WHAM! smacked me with a rod. He successfully got me to sin, and since then has successfully grabbed my thoughts, thinking about the sin. (Even numbed me occasionally to where I would walk along the line of the sin. [Praise God I didn't slip off the line into sin those times...]).
With those incidents, God has placed on my heart the verse "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
I wanted to just admonish you, the Reader, to take heed, lest you fall, too. You may miraculously be standing tall of a sin that has long ensnared you. You may think you finally got the victory--but take heed. Satan will never stop trying to devour you--even if that means holding off for a little while.
Satan is a lion, seeking those he can devour. If you are not vigilant and sober, he will pounce and devour you.
That doesn't sound very helpful, does it? "Satan will never stop trying to devour you."
It should, though, discourage you in this sense. You can't do it. You cannot withstand the Devil for every time he attacks you. You may be able to the first couple of times around, but eventually you will be so weak you can't stand.
But take heart! God is with you. Avoid that initial "Of course He is" that probably just entered your mind. That is one of Satan's tactics. To numb you to the truths of God's word. To numb you to the power of God. To numb you to the power you have(but can only be obtained through Christ).
When you are numb to the facts of Scripture, when they become "of course" to you, then you will begin to lose the wonder and awe behind them. God is with you! Is that not comforting? The one who created everything with just His voice. The one who defeated death through His son. The one who sealed Satan's finality through His son's death(and resurrection). That God...that God is with you. That God is by your side regardless of what's going on. That God is there, offering His hand to lift you to your feet. That God is there giving you strength the moment you ask for it.
So, sure, Satan will consistently fight you. He doesn't want you to further the kingdom of God. He hates God and will do anything to end His effectiveness. He wants to dishonor God's name. So he seeks those He loves. Satan seeks you.
But don't let that render you hopeless. God will give you strength.
Wow, interesting. I was looking for the verse:
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. "
I have "committed" that to memory, and God laid it on my heart to put in this post. But what is interesting is that this verse immediately follows the initial verse.
So, 'Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed, lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. "
We need to take heed so we don't fall, but God is faithful. He won't allow us to be tempted above our capacity to handle. He will make a way of escape so we can bear the temptation.
-Kevin
But then Satan hid behind a corner, then WHAM! smacked me with a rod. He successfully got me to sin, and since then has successfully grabbed my thoughts, thinking about the sin. (Even numbed me occasionally to where I would walk along the line of the sin. [Praise God I didn't slip off the line into sin those times...]).
With those incidents, God has placed on my heart the verse "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
I wanted to just admonish you, the Reader, to take heed, lest you fall, too. You may miraculously be standing tall of a sin that has long ensnared you. You may think you finally got the victory--but take heed. Satan will never stop trying to devour you--even if that means holding off for a little while.
Satan is a lion, seeking those he can devour. If you are not vigilant and sober, he will pounce and devour you.
That doesn't sound very helpful, does it? "Satan will never stop trying to devour you."
It should, though, discourage you in this sense. You can't do it. You cannot withstand the Devil for every time he attacks you. You may be able to the first couple of times around, but eventually you will be so weak you can't stand.
But take heart! God is with you. Avoid that initial "Of course He is" that probably just entered your mind. That is one of Satan's tactics. To numb you to the truths of God's word. To numb you to the power of God. To numb you to the power you have(but can only be obtained through Christ).
When you are numb to the facts of Scripture, when they become "of course" to you, then you will begin to lose the wonder and awe behind them. God is with you! Is that not comforting? The one who created everything with just His voice. The one who defeated death through His son. The one who sealed Satan's finality through His son's death(and resurrection). That God...that God is with you. That God is by your side regardless of what's going on. That God is there, offering His hand to lift you to your feet. That God is there giving you strength the moment you ask for it.
So, sure, Satan will consistently fight you. He doesn't want you to further the kingdom of God. He hates God and will do anything to end His effectiveness. He wants to dishonor God's name. So he seeks those He loves. Satan seeks you.
But don't let that render you hopeless. God will give you strength.
Wow, interesting. I was looking for the verse:
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. "
I have "committed" that to memory, and God laid it on my heart to put in this post. But what is interesting is that this verse immediately follows the initial verse.
So, 'Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed, lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. "
We need to take heed so we don't fall, but God is faithful. He won't allow us to be tempted above our capacity to handle. He will make a way of escape so we can bear the temptation.
-Kevin
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
"Behold, thou art there"
"Wither shall I go from thy spirit, or wither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into the heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover, even the night is light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day. The darkness and the light are both alike to thee."
--Psalm 139:7-12
Where can we go that is away from God's spirit and presence? This passage talks about the omnipresence of God. And it is beginning to become one of my favorite passages.
Because...if I am on the mountaintop, having a blessed time, God is with me. But, that isn't where God only is at. When we come off the mountain, and we experience hard things, God is there also.
If suddenly we find ourselves all alone, with no one in sight, just a vast land of waves crashing into us all the time--God is still with us! How great is that thought? When we are all alone with no one else to help us, guide us, strengthen us...God is still there!
If we are going through a dark time in our lives when even we can't see where to go(Referencing my blog post below) God is still there. You aren't hidden by the darkness, God can see you as if he is looking at you while you're standing under the sun! Because the darkness and light are both alike to him. He can see perfectly in both. He knows where you are when you are walking in the darkness, He sees you. He is right there with you.
You are not alone. Even when you are out there on the ocean, floating in the darkness, going through turmoil--God is there.
Once you realize this, you need to hold out your hand and let him guide you and hold you. God doesn't want you to remain in the dark, He wants you to be in the light.
Isaiah 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
--Psalm 139:7-12
Where can we go that is away from God's spirit and presence? This passage talks about the omnipresence of God. And it is beginning to become one of my favorite passages.
Because...if I am on the mountaintop, having a blessed time, God is with me. But, that isn't where God only is at. When we come off the mountain, and we experience hard things, God is there also.
If suddenly we find ourselves all alone, with no one in sight, just a vast land of waves crashing into us all the time--God is still with us! How great is that thought? When we are all alone with no one else to help us, guide us, strengthen us...God is still there!
If we are going through a dark time in our lives when even we can't see where to go(Referencing my blog post below) God is still there. You aren't hidden by the darkness, God can see you as if he is looking at you while you're standing under the sun! Because the darkness and light are both alike to him. He can see perfectly in both. He knows where you are when you are walking in the darkness, He sees you. He is right there with you.
You are not alone. Even when you are out there on the ocean, floating in the darkness, going through turmoil--God is there.
Once you realize this, you need to hold out your hand and let him guide you and hold you. God doesn't want you to remain in the dark, He wants you to be in the light.
Isaiah 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
2 Corinthians 4
I try to incorporate verses in my posts, to give substance to my posts about different issues--after all, who knows more? God or me?
But, today I want this post to be entirely God. I'll embolden verses here and there to stick out from the rest of the passage, but please read it all. May God bless and speak to you through His word.
-2 Cor. 4:1-18
Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
[We are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present [us] with you.
For all things [are] for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory;
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.
But, today I want this post to be entirely God. I'll embolden verses here and there to stick out from the rest of the passage, but please read it all. May God bless and speak to you through His word.
-2 Cor. 4:1-18
Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
[We are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present [us] with you.
For all things [are] for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory;
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.
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