A New Year with Ancient Promises

Congratulations to you if you are reading this blog! Why do I say that? If you are reading this blog, then that means that you are still alive!! And that means that you still have ample opportunity to reclaim some wonderful ancient promises from God Almighty in this New Year of 2017!!

Consider these powerful passages of Holy Scripture:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;    never will I forsake you.” - Hebrews 13:5

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 

- 2 Corinthians 1:20

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 

- 1 Timothy 4:8

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

- Galatians 3:29

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

- 2 Peter 3:9

REMEMBER .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time to Begin Again!

This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

God is Right!

Was driving home this morning from my Uber responsibilities as a driver, and I was reflecting on my life.  Several thoughts ran through my mind as I reflected, but the major theme of my thoughts was that God is Right! His words are right! Whether we make bad choices or good choices, God's word will prove true in our lives.  If we are sexually immoral, commit adultery, dishonor our parents, steal, gossip, slander, murder, hate, envy, covet, or take delight in injustice, we shall reap the negative consequences of such evil actions. On the other hand, if we love, practice mercy, faithfulness, justice, show compassion, pursue peace, honor others, and stay humble, we shall reap the positive fruits of those good actions.

I have lived long enough now to have seen the results of both sides of disobedience and obedience to God. And the conclusion is this: If we can see the truth of God's word play out in our lives in this life, why should we not think that God will be true as it pertains to the next life? In other words, God shows us His reality, credibility and truth in this life, so that there will be no surprises when His word proves true in the next life.  Heaven is Real! Hell is Real! God is trying to prepare each one of us for either an eternity with Him or one without Him. God's preference is that we all will CHOOSE to spend an eternity with Him in Heaven, but He will certainly punish people in Hell who CHOOSE to rebel against Him.

Consider a few passages from Holy Scripture about the Veracity of God and His word:

"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" 

- Numbers 23:19

“Every word of God is flawless;

    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6 

Do not add to his words,

    or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar."

- Proverbs 30:5-6

 "What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”


- Romans 3:4

"God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged."

- Hebrews 6:18

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

- Revelation 21:5

REMEMBER ..... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After the Explosion Detonates

There are occasions in our lives when the smoldering wick of sin fans into the flames of absolute explosion and destruction.  WE ALL have a great ability to hide who we really are, and we know how to smile at others while secretly enduring pain or plotting evil.  But there comes a time when we can't run or hide any longer, and the truth is revealed.

Jesus said that it is not the things that we put into our mouths that makes us unclean but what comes out of our hearts is what make us unclean.


He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Mark 7:20-23

There is a way to stop deadly explosions in our lives, however. The Bible encourages us to confess our sins to one another and to walk in the light.  In doing so, we crush the power of sin in our lives by taking away its stronghold, and we defeat the devil at the doorstep to our hearts.

Scripture says:

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

James 5:16

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

I John 1:5-7

REMEMBER .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!!

Thank God for Patience

If you are like me, you have had times when you wanted something right here and now.  You did not want to wait for what you wanted. Sometimes we are very impatient! We want to be first in line, first for the promotion on the job, first pick for a date from someone we are interested in or we want to be first to be recognized for something we have done. In short, we lack patience.

Patience is sometimes very difficult because it requires us to wait for what we most long for in our lives.  It means that we have to delay our instant gratification attitude that so many of us have.  It also means that we have to allow others to go before us, and to have their needs met before our needs have been met.

The Bible speaks about the importance of patience.  As a Jesus follower, I am reminded that a life led by the Holy Spirit includes being patient.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." 

Galatians 5:22-23

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." 

Colossians 3:12-13

Not only does Scripture inform us that patience should be a part of our Christian walk, but we are reminded that God is patient!

"But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed ."

2 Peter 3:8-10

WOW! This is a very important point about God because His patience toward us has to do with wanting to save everyone! God is delaying judgment to give everyone a chance to reconcile with Him before it is too late! 


REMEMBER .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!