God's Word on That

Tag: God’s Word

  • A Word On Serving

    We have to move beyond the naïve expectation that if we do good, people will treat us right. We cannot control how people respond to us.

    Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:17). Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward (Colossians 3:23).

    Remember this one fact: Achievement is only determined by who or what we serve.

    We have turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. (1 Thessalonians 1:9). The Lord has come to rescue me from the hand of my enemy, and to enable me to serve my Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all my days (Luke 1:74-75).

    Most of the divisions between us come from fear. People fear what they do not understand, whether or not it poses an immediate threat to them.

    If we are afraid, it is for fear of what He might do to us, and shows that we are not fully convinced that He really loves us (1 John 4:18 TLB).

    We cannot overcome another person’s fear, but we can continue to display love in all that we do to allay their fears about us. Learn to love people and use things instead of using people and loving things.

    Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:9-10). Render service with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good each one does, he will receive this back from the Lord (Ephesians 6:7-8).

    We have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit (Romans 7:6). Serve one another through love (Galatians 5:13).

    Love is the most powerful force in the world. Love, like fire, destroys all its enemies. Never underestimate the gesture of affection; never underestimate the value of any act of kindness.

    When we love each other God lives in us and His love within us grows ever stronger (1 John 4:12). Lord Jesus, as I obey Your commandment – to love one another – the darkness in my life disappears and the new light of Your life in me shines through (John 2:8).

    The Lord has given me the tongue of the learned to know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary (Isaiah 50:4). If I speak, I will do it as one speaking the very words of God. And I will serve with the strength God provides, so in all things God may be praised through Christ Jesus — to Him be glory and power and honor forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 4:11).

    Let us rise above differences and display the Love of God to those around us.

  • On Self-Worth

    A person has infinite value – just because he or she is created in the image of God. Yet toot your own horn and the notes will be flat. There are no positions of superiority or inferiority at the foot of the Cross – it’s all level ground below Jesus.

    Father God, how great is the love You have bestowed on me that I should be called a child of Yours. And that is what I am (1 John 3:1). Your Word says: He who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). I have placed myself in Jesus and have put my trust in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). So Father, I am Your child and I confess Jesus as Lord over my spirit, soul and body this day and every day.

    Father God, You chose me and appointed me to go and bear fruit (John 15:16). God Himself chose me! It is He alone who makes me worthy.

    Lord God, according to Your Word, Your Spirit Himself testifies with my spirit that I am Your child. Now if I am Your child, then I am an heir — heir of Yours and co-heir with Christ Jesus, if indeed I share in His sufferings that I may also share in His glory (Romans 8:16-18). Help me to sincerely embrace the truth that any present sufferings I encounter are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in me. Father, continue to bring me along the path You have laid for me, so that I can learn to rejoice in my sufferings because sufferings produce perseverance (Romans 5:3).

    Like the slow drip of a faucet that eventually fills a bucket, none of our choices are trivial – every one matters.

    Lord God, You created me, and formed me. You told me: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are Mine!” — I am Yours, When I pass through the waters [of depression] You will be with me. And when I pass through the rivers [of sorrow] they will not sweep over me [to drown me]. When I walk through the fires [of adversity] I will not be burned; for You are the Lord, my God, the Holy One of Israel, my Savior. And I am precious and honored in Your sight! (Isaiah 43:1-4).

    Fate is what we are compelled to do. Destiny is what we are meant to do. You will give up on yourself before God will.

    It pleased You, Lord, to make me one of Your people (1 Samuel 12:22). For You, Lord God, are good and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all who call upon You (Psalm 86:5). So I will indeed obey Your voice and keep Your covenant; then I will be a special treasure to You above all peoples (Exodus 19:5).

    “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” (Dr. Seuss) I need to accept that I am accepted in my total unacceptability.

    I can say with a full heart that all of us together are Christ’s body, and I am a separate and necessary part of it (1 Corinthians 12:27).

    Remember: To the world you might be just one person, but to one person you might just be the world. The Hero and the coward look alike until the battle begins.

    Father God, You made my Savior’s life a guilt offering for me (Isaiah 53:10). His death was enough to handle every one of my sins, and all my guilt as well. I thank You exceedingly! Sin need never again be my master for now I am no longer tied to the law where sin enslaves me, but I am free under God’s favor and mercy (Romans 6:14). So now I am free from the power of sin and am a slave unto God [which is actually a blessing], and His benefits include holiness and everlasting life (Romans 6:27).

    God forgets the past. Sacrilege is to feel guilt for sins forgiven. God has forgiven you – you’d be wise to do the same.

    With You, O loving Lord, nothing is accidental, nothing is incidental, and no experience is wasted. Every trial You allow to happen is a platform on which You reveal Yourself, showing Your love and power both to me and to others looking on. Thank You that I can move into the future non-defensively, with hands outstretched, to whatever lies ahead. For You control the future, You hold my life-breath in Your hands (Daniel 5:23), and You will always be with me (Hebrews 13:5). Give me grace, Lord, to trust You in each of my trials, large or small — to accept each one and cooperate with You so I will grow through it.

    Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love (Acts 20:24 Phillips). But I must love myself before God’s love can shine past me to others. Lord, You lift up those who are bowed down (Psalm 146:8). So I will be of good courage because You strengthen my heart (Psalm 31:24). You have thoughts and plans for my welfare and peace (Jeremiah 29:11). I will keep my mind stayed on You (Isaiah 26:3), then I can stop allowing myself to be agitated and disturbed and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled (John 14:27 Amplified).

    It is how God sees us that defines our importance.

  • Teamwork

    Work is not a punishment.  God did not create work as drudgery, but as a gift of fulfillment to life.

    The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15). God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth, and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). The sun rises… then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening (Psalm 104:23).

    God created an order to things to help man accomplish this task. But God did not wash His hands of the work still to be done.

    God said, “So, I declared on oath in My anger, they shall never enter My rest.” And yet His work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all His work” (Hebrews 4:3-4). Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at His work to this very day; and I, too, am working” (John 5:17).

    Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life (John 6:27). For night is coming, when no one can work (John 9:4). The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work (1 John 3:8). By this kind of hard work we must help the weak (Acts 20:35).

    Team work divides the effort and multiplies the effect.

    Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward (Colossians 3:23). “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord” (Colossians 4:17). For you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially (1 Peter 1:17).

    Fire will test the quality of each man’s work (1 Corinthians 3:13). Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58), also to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it (1 Corinthians 16:16).

    The whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work (Ephesians 4:16), according to His power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20). Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you (Philippians 2:12-13), that we may work together for the truth (3 John 8).

    There is a dynamic multiplication factor in unity of numbers.  Imagine what God could do with a unified church!

    May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands, O Lord – yes, establish the work of our hands (Psalm 90:17).

    Let us work together to build up the body of Christ.

  • A Word On Relationships

    God is more interested in relationships than achievements.

    If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:17-18).

    “Be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly. And listen to others, even the dull and ignorant, for they too have their story.” (Desiderata – Max Ehrmann)

    Relationships don’t thrive because the guilty are punished but because the innocent are merciful.  The burden of bridge-building falls on the strong, not the weak.

    As God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive (Colossians 3:12-13)

    Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:11-12).

    Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others (1 Corinthians 10:24).

    Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless; plead for the widow (Isaiah 1:17).

    Do not grow weary in doing good. And if anyone does not obey our words in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. YET do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother (2 Thessalonians 3:13-15).

    For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:4).

    Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person (Colossians 4:5-6).

    Life as a Christian is simple, but not easy.

    He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to act justly, and to show mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

    Let us work on being on good terms with all God’s creatures.

  • Love is Our Law

    The foundation of growing in wisdom is to recognize God as the source of wisdom and obeying His laws as the path to wisdom. But remember, God’s Old Covenant Law is a mirror not a ladder. It shows us our sin and opens the door to grace.

    No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin (Romans 3:20). When you judge the law, you are not keeping it (James 4:11).

    What does guilt imply if not that we know right from wrong and aspire to be better than we are?

    A righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known (Romans 3:20-21). All are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17). It is for freedom [from the Old Covenant Law] that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1).

    Jesus = the perfect standard of what is right.

    A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34).

    The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does (James 1:25). You have been set free from sin and have now become slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:18).

    A lot of church members who sing “Standing on the Promises” are just sitting on the premises. We are the ministers/priests for God to non-believers; we are to speak truth, walk blamelessly, and follow His covenant.

    Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! (James 2:12-13).

    What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). If you really keep the “royal” law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right (James 2:8).

    When we make a conscious decision to do what God says, we will begin to see people in a new perspective. Obedience unlocks God’s power.

    We are called to a new law – to shine forth His love.

    Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2). Do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14). By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

  • Trust Blindly

    Trust blindly, because God promised, “I will bring the blind by a way they do not know”.

    Father God, I ask You to lead me when I am blind along ways I have not known; along unfamiliar paths please guide me. Lord, turn the darkness into light before me and make the rough places smooth. I pray these are the things You will do; yet I know You will not forsake me (Isaiah 42:16). I will be still and know You are God. You, O Lord Almighty, are with me; You, O God of Jacob, are my Fortress (Psalm 46:10-11).

    By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and got up and went, even though he did not know where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). Lord, help me to be willing to follow You in obedience even when I’m not sure where we are heading.

    When I said, “my foot is slipping,” Your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul (Psalm 94:18-19). When I was in great need, You saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you (Psalm 116:6-7). I will rejoice and be glad in Your love, O my God, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy, but have set my feet in a spacious place (Psalm 31:7-8).

    Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You, O Lord, preserve my life. You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes; with Your right hand You save me. You, my Lord God, will fulfill Your purpose for me. Your Love, O Lord, endures forever — You will not abandon the work of Your hands (Psalm 138:7-8).

    When you come to the edge of all the light you have known and are about to step out into the darkness, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly. Wake up saying “Yes, Lord” then watch during the day to discover God’s question for the day’s journey.

    God Father, Your Word tells me to humble myself under Your mighty hand, that You may lift me up in due time. O Loving Father, I cast all my cares and anxieties and worries of the day on You because You care for me (1 Peter 5:6-7). I cast my cares on the Lord and He sustains me; He will never let the righteous be moved (Psalm 55:22).

    It doesn’t matter if we can discern the path, we are just to trust and follow God’s leading.

  • No Need For Worry

    Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles but today of its strengths. Fear is faith in the enemy’s abilities! We live our lives not simply according to what we know, but what we really believe. How we walk with our feet of clay on the hot pavement of life evidences what we truly believe.

    Please swell my soul with belief and help me trust emphatically in Your deliverance, O God my Savior (Psalm 78:18-22). Do not be far from me, O Lord my Champion, for trouble is near and there is no one to help (Psalm 22:11). I sometimes feel others conspire against me and the enemy plots to take my life. But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hands (Psalm 31:13-16).

    Some say that to worry is to sin, since God told us not to worry. The fact is that worry doesn’t add any time to your lifespan, or boost your health, or increase your popularity. There really is no good that comes from worry. Yet how hard it is to let go of the controls and not worry about any outcomes. We are told to sit back and enjoy the ride while God drives us home.

    Help me, Lord Jesus, to take Your yolk upon me and to learn from You; for You are gentle and humble in heart, and I will find rest for my soul in You (Matthew 11:29). Lord God, I have the assurance of Your Word that You, the Great God of All Grace, who Yourself has called me to Your eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after I have suffered a little while, will Yourself restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast (1 Peter 5:10). You, O Lord, love me with an everlasting love; You have drawn me with loving-kindness (Jeremiah 31:3).

    How great is Your goodness, O Lord, which You have stored up for those who fear You; which You bestow in the sight of all men on those who take refuge in You (Psalm 31: 19). The Lord has come to rescue me from the hand of my enemy, and to enable me to serve my Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all my days (Luke 1:74-75).

    Now, just as I trusted Christ Jesus to save me, I can trust Him also for each day’s problems; I choose to live in vital union with Him. I can let my roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him.

    I let the peace of Christ Jesus rule in my heart, since as a member of His body I was called to peace (Colossians 3:15) and I refuse to worry about anything.

    Lord God, help me to remember You when I go to bed (Psalm 63:6). Occupy my thoughts through the watches of the night, because when my mind is on You I don’t worry about other things.

    I refuse to worry about anything. God is on my side. God is in me now. Who can be against me and win? (Romans 8:31)

    No matter what storm we are in, God is always with us to see us through it.

  • Failure Is Not Final

    In his weakness man is not able to sustain any relationship without eventually needing to forgive and be forgiven. Failing doesn’t make us failures; it makes us experienced.

    My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my spirit (Psalm 73:26).

    Failure is the line of least persistence. Good judgment usually comes from experience.  Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment. Yet that is all we are – the sum of our experiences. Time, talent, treasures — all these are entrusted to us with the expectation of getting them back improved upon.

    Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail (Lamentations 3:22). Strengthen me according to Your Word (Psalm 119:28) O Lord, for Your promises preserve my life (Psalm 119:50). You are my stronghold, my defense, the God who shows me loving-kindness (Psalm 59:17).

    Dismiss feelings of frustration – 90 percent of it is rooted in self-pity and always interferes with positive action. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.

    I earnestly pray that I walk worthy of You, my Lord God, fully pleasing You and desiring to please You in all things, and being fruitful in every good work. I aim to increase my knowledge of You, loving God. And so I pray that I am being strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might, that I may have great endurance and patience (Colossians 1:10-11).

    I love You, O Lord, my strength! You are my [unmoving] Rock, my [surrounding] fortress, and my [ever-present] deliverer. You, O God, are my rock in whom I take refuge [from all weariness]. You are my shield [from all unpleasantness] and the horn of my salvation [from all difficulties], my [glorious] stronghold (Psalm 18:1-2). I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation… I can do everything though Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:12-13).

    Father God, help us to be the best we can at this moment.

    May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

    We all fail, but God strengthens and lifts us back up.

  • Love Expresses Itself

    God is love, and it is the nature of love to express itself. True love is treating others as God would. God is a God of relationships. He prioritizes love over labor.

    I say: Don’t resist violence! If you are slapped on one cheek, turn the other too. If you are ordered to court, and your shirt is taken from you give your coat too (Matthew 5:39-40). I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45).

    God knows how to raise, train, and guide His children. All He needs is a cooperative child. If we stay in the light, we are stronger for it, and the world around us is blessed.

    If someone mistreats you because you are a Christian, don’t curse him; pray that God will bless him (Romans 12:14). When we are cursed, we bless (1 Corinthians 4:12).

    Jesus maintained that the proper way to keep any commandment was to fulfill the purpose for which it was given.

    Everything – all – no matter what we say; no matter what we do – it is to be offered as a gift to God with Jesus’ name, power, and honor attached. It is the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ Jesus that must be the springboard for everything we do.

    So whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through [and for] Him (Colossians 3:17).

    We are to let His love shine through us onto everything we do.

  • Judge Not

    A pearl lost in mud is not less valuable; a pearl coated with balsam is not more valuable. We have our value from our Father, and how and where we live cannot change it. (Sayings of Yeshua)

    The qualification for judging is not knowledge; we all possess that in some degree and can grow in knowledge as we set our minds to that task.  But the qualification for judging is achievement in goodness, and none of us is perfect there. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, for what is essential is invisible to the eye.

    We do not focus on what is seen but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Stop judging by mere appearances (John 7:24).

    No condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). So who are you to criticize your brother? (Romans 14:10) Let us no longer criticize one another, but instead decide not to put a stumbling block or pitfall in your brother’s way (Romans 14:13).

    Seek God’s wisdom that you be slow to condemn and quick to show compassion. Try not to focus on blame or justice or retribution, but on future life-affirming options. Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.

    Therefore encourage one another and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up (Romans 15:2).

    “I don’t hate my enemies.  After all, I made them!” (Red Skelton) Be forgiving, for most people are doing the best they can. Be kind to unkind people because they need it most. And be kinder than necessary to everyone you meet, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

    Let us not judge others, for we are all like hobos in line at the same soup kitchen.