Oh, To Be Like Jesus!

Jesus was a victim of the blame game. The Scribes and Pharisees of His day watched Him so they could catch Him doing something they considered wrong. Their hearts were so hardened that they could not see the good that Jesus was doing.

How about the time that Jesus was in the synagogue with the man who had the withered hand. It was on the sabbath day. The Scribes and Pharisees were more concerned about whether Jesus would heal on the sabbath or not. Jesus asked them, " Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?" But they held their peace. (Mark 4:4)

Their hearts were so hardened that they could not see the good. They had lost their judgement of good and evil. Jesus proceeded to heal the man with the withered hand. The "...weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith:..." are talked about by Jesus in Matthew 23:23. Jesus' work in Mark is an example of the weightier matters.

Today, I pray to You, Jesus, the words of Psalms 25:4-6:

4) Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.

5) Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

6) Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.

All of this I pray and ask, Jesus, that you help me through the Spirit to be able to see things more and more like You and to become more and more like You everyday! In Your Glorious Name, I pray! Amen!

Seek Wisdom, Seek Jesus

Proverbs 3:13-Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

Proverbs 3:18-(Wisdom) is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

II Timothy 3:15-And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is Christ Jesus.

Simple Summary: Happy and wise is the one who finds salvation through faith in Jesus.

Patience

Maybe we have all heard that God does things in His own timing. There is wisdom in those words. We want things yesterday, but waiting on God's timing can make us to really slow down and take a deeper look at ourselves and things arounds us. Even people who think they are patient can have a true lesson from God in patience. Just when we think we are patient we realize that we do not have as much patience as we thought we had. Waiting on God is the key to everything.

Believe
Read the Bible
Follow God's Word
Pray

Following these steps will put us relying on the Lord. Exactly where God wants us and exactly where we need to be. Patience is weaved into seeing the rainbow!

WAIT PATIENTLY

Yes, God hears and answers our cries. The answer often comes in ways that we would have never expected. There are times when we go through dire circumstances. Our hearts tend to harden and we question God--"Why is this happening to me?", "Why am I in this situation?", "What have I done to deserve this?", "Why me?"

Instead of hardening our heart toward God, it is during these times that we must lean on Him like no other time. Those times are a true test of patience. We think we have done no wrong. We have followed all of God's commandments. We have studied His Word. We have prayed. We have done everything that we believe should be right in God's eyes, yet this thing is happening in our life.

I believe waiting on God is the best answer in these situations. It is a true test of endurance. Hang in there. There is something to be learned Only God has the answer through the storm, but we must endure and be faithful to make it to the other side of the storm for the revelation and then the rejoicing wil come. You will be able to sing Psalms 40:1, 2:

1) I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

2) He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

You will be able to say, "That is the answer to all I was going through.", "I now understand what God was doing.", "Jesus is my deliverer, He saw me through the storm."

My heart goes out to you in prayer:

Heavenly Father, my prayer goes out to all the "storms" going on in peoples' lives at this time. I pray you touch each and everyones' heart and keep them faithful through whatever difficult times they are facing. In Jesus' name I pray! Amen!

Our Saving God!

God is often working on saving man. God hears our cries. Psalms 28:1 is a cry that God heard:

Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.

Yes, God hears and answers our cries to Him. You will see in Job 33:27-30:

27) He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;
28) He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
29) Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man.
30) To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.

Trust in God and you will be helped as David was when he cried out to the Lord! You will also rejoice as David did in Psalms 28:7.

Follow the Lord's Example

Let's sing Psalms 145:9 in our hearts:

The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

What a wonderful verse of a psalm to sing and an example to follow. We should be good to all and have mercy toward our brethren and never "put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in (our) brother's way." (Romans 14:13). When we follow God's example, we are doing "the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another." (Romans 14:19). Why would we ever want to give in to evil and do the opposite of God's example?

Steps of Salvation and Indwelling Spirit

1) We are convicted of our sin by the Holy Spirit.

2) We are saved by confessing and believing in Jesus.

3) We dwell in the Holy Spirit and He dwells in us if we keep His commandments.

These steps can be reviewed in John 16:9, Romans 10:9 and 1 John 3:24.

Work of the Comforter

As shown in John 16:7-11, when Jesus departed, He sent the Comforter to us. The work of the Comforter is to reprove us of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement:

9) Of sin, because they believe not on me;

10) Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

11) Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Prayer and Psalm for Brothers and Sisters

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your presence in my life. Your presence means more to me than anything this world has to offer.
Father, I come to You today with a prayer for my brothers and sisters who appear to me to engage in all sorts of wickedness to get "ahead" in this materialistic world. Their actions seem unjust. Only You, God, know the whole story. You know all of our hearts.
God, I know things are not always as they seem. From my human view, many things that my brothers and sisters do, appears wrong. Please God, touch their hearts and steer them away from all appearances of evil. If their actions are really evil, please convict them and make them realize their wrong. Let them know there is a better way of life! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen!
A good Psalm to go along with this prayer is Psalms 7: 9-11:

9) Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
10) My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
11) God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

Love and Despise Not

We are not justified by God when we judge and despise others. As shown in Luke 18:9-12, 14, the Pharisee thought of himself as righteous although he despised others. The Pharisee prayed and thanked God that he was not as other men. The examples he named were extortioners, unjust men, adulters and a publican who was in the temple praying at the same time. Verse 14 shows that he was not justified by God and he was humbled. God wants us to love our brothers and sisters and not to judge and despise them.

A Repentant Publican

A publican went to the temple in Luke 18:13,14 and prayed, "...God be merciful to me a sinner." He went home knowing God.

Repent and Know Jesus

It is not the good works that we do that get us into heaven. When we repent of our sins, good works are a result. Good works or good fruit are the outpouring of a repentant heart. Matthew 7:17 says, Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. In this verse, the good tree that bringeth forth the good fruit is the person with the repentant heart.
Matthew 7:22 says, Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? In this verse, Jesus is referring to people that will not have a repentant heart and will think that their works will get them into heaven. Good works or good fruit are not a requirement to get into heaven, but a repentant heart is. Having a repentant heart is to know Jesus!

Search me, O God,...

Matthew 7: 21-23:

21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and
in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity.

God's will is for us to repent of our sins. If we do not repent, any work we do for God is done in vain and is sinful. We will be considered workers of iniquity. Matthew 7:19 says,
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Verses 23 and 24 in Psalms 139 are a good way to keep our heart in check:

23) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24) And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Father God, I pray, please forgive me for my sinful ways and lead me into your perfect way. I want the work that I do for You not to be in vain nor to be sinful. I want to spend eternity in heaven with You and not to be cast into hell. Thank you for sending your only Son to die on the cross for my sins! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen!

Believe

In a previous blog, it was written, "Taste and see and trust God through believing in Him." Jesus expresses the utmost importance of believing in God in John 5:24:

Verily, verily, I say unto you he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me,
hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto
life.

Let's expand on believing and turn to Romans 10: 9, 10:

9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousnes; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation.

Believing in Him to be saved. Being saved to have everlasting life in heaven.

Praying Instructions

In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus says,

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the

power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

O Taste and See...and Trust

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth him. (Psalms 34:8)

*Taste and see and trust God through believing in Him.

*Taste and see and trust God through reading His Word.

*Taste and see and trust God through praying to Him.

Praise God! Praise His Glorious Name! Amen!

Believe, Read and Pray

My prayer is for you to be drawn to God to start your relationship with Him. To better know God, you can start by reading the Bible with belief. God will reveal Himself to you in loving ways. In loving ways, personal to you and Him. When you combine God's word with prayer, you have opened up your line of communication.

Life Book

Some people think the Bible is only a guidebook. The Bible is much more than that. It is a Life Book. Jesus said to Satan in the wilderness, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

God or Satan, Good or Evil, Love or Hate

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another (Matthew 24:10). Any petty offense toward another should be taken seriously. Those petty offenses build and can promote hatred. Obviously the opposite of God's command to love our neighbor.
Love is so interwined with the commandments. Love is a commandment. If you break one of most any of them you are offending your neighbor or working ill toward your neighbor. As Romans 13:10 says, Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
As only an example to make a comparison between good and evil, suppose Romans 13:10 said, Hate worketh ill to his neighbor: therefore hate is not fulfilling the law. Which do you choose to promote--God or Satan, good or evil, love or hate?

Romans 13:10 and Matthew 24:10, 12

God has placed Romans 13:10 and Matthew 24:10, 12 on my heart. These verses relate closely to this week's blog entries.
Maybe you think it's ok to break the commandments. Romans 13:10 says that Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
From Matthew 24:10, 12, it appears to me that a sign of the end is that many shall break the commandments--offending brothers and sisters and leading to hatred. There will be so much sin that love toward one another shall grow cold. We must do our part today to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). No matter how insignificant an act of love seems, we must do it.
We can protect our hearts by praying to God for protection:

Dear Heavenly Father, please protect me from the evil around me and keep love in my heart--no matter what comes my way! Amen!

We can also keep our hearts from growing cold by warming them with a psalm. Psalm 51:10 is a good verse to sing:

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Oh yes, one additional important point in Matthew 24:13 says,

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. We should always be ready as if today is the end and stand firm to our Christian faith.

Guard your heart

We must guard our hearts and let love flow from them. If our guard is let down, we are opening ourselves up to a hardened heart which can lead to breaking the commandments as said by Jesus,

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,
false witness, blasemphies:

Matthew 15:19

A way to keep your heart warm is by keeping a psalm in it! Here's a portion of Psalm 95 for you:

7) For he is our God: and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
To day if ye will hear his voice.
8) Harden not your heart as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the
wilderness:

God's Commandments

How long has it been since we've read the Ten Commandments--God's spoken words? God shows mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments (Exodus 20:6). Hopefully we're keeping them! You can find them in detail in Exodus 20. Here's a list for you:

*Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

*Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...

*Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain...

*Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

*Honour thy father and thy mother...

*Thou shalt not kill.

*Thou shalt not commit adultery.

*Thou shalt not steal.

*Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor

*Thou shalt not covet...

Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40:

37) Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38) This is the first and great commandment. 39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

After loving God first, we must love ourself and share the love with our neighbor. Are we loving? We must guard our hearts and let love flow out of them. Let's guard our hearts and sing:

With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

Psalms 119:10

Introduction

With the hope of leading you to a personal relationship with Christ, this blog is an outlet for the manifestation of my vocation for God. It's a way for me to express what the Holy Spirit places on my heart. It's a way for me to write a sermon, to teach or to admonish "in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs..." (Colossians 3:16) as well as a way to praise God. Whatever God places on my heart, it can be expressed here. Hope you grow in Christ as a result of this blog! Amen!