God's Word on That

Tag: jesus

  • Let Us Return To Our Creator

    What is your concept of God? Do you see Him as a timeless, infinite, all-powerful, unchanging, glorious being? Or do you tend to minimize His greatness, preferring to think of Him as one who may be treated as a magic genie to handle your requests, or can be manipulated or mandated to do what you want Him to do? Such a view of God is utterly pagan!

    Our God is an awesome and powerful God. Let us fear Him only.

    Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention [is better] than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22).

    Humble yourselves before the Lord (James 4:10).

    “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom. Let not the mighty man boast in his might. Nor let the rich man boast in his riches. But let him who boasts boast in this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord exercising loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

    When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me — until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I understood.. (Psalm 73:16-17).

    [Please] Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before You (Psalm 143:2).

    These things [events in God’s Word] happened to make them an example for others. These things were written down as a warning for us who are living in the closing days of history. So, people who think they are standing firmly should be careful that they don’t fall! (1 Corinthians 10:11-12).

    So rend your heart and not your garment; return to the Lord your God for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm (Joel 2:13).

    For I desire mercy and not [guilt] sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6).

    Stop bringing useless sacrifices! (Isaiah 1:13)

    But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream (Amos 5:24).

    Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones (Proverbs 3:7-8).

    “Come, let us discuss this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

    God’s forgiveness is uniquely infinite! He suffers graciously from a very bad memory.

  • Reasons To Strive For Good

    For it is time [now] for judgment to begin with the family of God. And if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the Gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)

    Let us examine ourselves carefully. Let us not spend time judging others by appearance.

    You then, why do you judge your brother, or why do you look down on your brother? We will all stand before God’s judgment seat. For it is written: “As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “every knee will bow before Me. Every tongue will confess to God.” So then, each of us will give an account of himself before God (Romans 14:10-12).

    For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done… (2 Corinthians 5:10).

    Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with what judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you (Matthew 7:1-2).

    Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you – a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured out into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:37-38).

    For if we would judge ourselves we would not be judged (1 Corinthians 11:31).

    Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God (1 Corinthians 4:5).

    That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow – of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth – and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).

    Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away (Hebrews 2:1).

    Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves (James 1:22).

    Establish Your Word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You (Psalm 119:38).

    For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

  • Lessons From Job – Part 3

    God’s questions to Job are not intended to teach, but to stun.  They are not to enlighten, but to awaken.  They are not to stir the mind, but to bend the knee.

    Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing… (Job 28:20-21)

    What is wisdom for us humans? It is not finding all the answers but is an ongoing process of asking the right questions. There will always be a new situation that causes us to ask a new question. This gives us a new view of life.

    God understands the way to it and He alone knows where it dwells (Job 28:23).

    The solution to Job’s [and all our] problems cannot be found in human wisdom. Only divine wisdom can help make sense of suffering

    There are questions at the jagged edge of faith. They are the queries that cannot be reached, that agitate us, and perhaps make us uncomfortable with our religious certainties. “How can I relate to God when nothing makes sense anymore?” “Where can I find God when the world looks so cold and lonely?” “How can I believe in God when there doesn’t appear to be any future for me?”

    Since ancient times wise men have thought they could discover anything if they sufficiently contemplate the world around them through the eyes of philosophy. But we are vulnerable to life experiences which will make us question our answers, and force us to ask unanswerable questions. To acknowledge this limitation opens us to life in a new way.

    The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding (Job 28:28).

    Thus true wisdom for us humans always begins with a proper attitude: fear of the Lord.

    Allow the answers to come from God. His answers are not given in trite, simplistic phrases. Rather, they bypass the mind. His Spirit touches our spirit. Our hearts discover the Presence of the Almighty One, and this produces an unexplainable calm!

    [Taken in part from “Basic Bible Commentary” on “Job” commentary on Job chapter 28.]

  • Lessons From Job – Part 2

    “Faith does not comprehend the divine plan. Yet faith knows God reigns in the visible and invisible world. Though he does not understand, the man of faith can trust.” Yes, part of our human experience means accepting that everything about God cannot be understood or explained. This does not mean we look at horrific events and blindly call them “God’s will.” It does mean that we acknowledge God’s ways are beyond our comprehension. Even without a clear understanding of God, we can learn to trust Him. (Andrew Blackwood)

    Trust God to lead you through your dark times. He sees the whole picture.

    The intense dialogue between Job and his friends not only reflects Job’s inner turmoil, but also reveals his chief desire – an explanation for his suffering. When God breaks His silence and speaks to Job “out of the storm,” He does not answer one of Job’s questions. He doesn’t even concern Himself with Job’s heartfelt cry of “Why?”

    To the casual observer this response from God seems uncaring. But if we look closely at God’s communication with Job, we find that when God speaks out of the storm, His intent is to calm that storm. In order to do so, God must go beyond Job’s questions to the core issue that forms the basis of his inquiry: trust.

    God could give Job an explanation for his suffering, but Job, being human, would be incapable of really “getting it.” Understanding why will not bring Job’s children back to life, or restore his financial security, or erase the pain from his heart or the nightmares in his head.

    And so, instead of giving answers, God gives Job peace by reminding him that God is in control.

    Trusting God equips us with the proper perspective from which to view disappointment. Like Job, I too know the pain of burying a child. I too know what it is like to be angry at God. I too have “shaken my fist” at God. I too know the pain that gives rise to the bitter cry, “Why?” And I too have found that trusting God is more important and valuable than understanding how God works. Trusting in God’s promises and provision has enabled my wife and me to rise up from the ashes of tragedy and look forward to each new day with anticipation and joy.

    In the darkness of disappointment, we can still find the path to God. Job and others like him have blazed that trail to prove that it can be done. And the first step is trust. “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him!” (Job 13:15)

    [Taken in part from “Night Vision“, an article on “Finding God’s light in the darkness of disappointment” by Rusty Tugman]

  • Lessons From Job – Part 1

    In 1858 the Illinois legislature, using an obscure statute, sent Stephen A. Douglas to the United States Senate instead of Abraham Lincoln, even though Lincoln had won the popular vote. When a sympathetic friend asked Lincoln how he felt, he said, “Like the boy who stubbed his toe: I am too big to cry and too badly hurt to laugh.” When faced with disappointment, many of us find ourselves in the same position as Abraham Lincoln – unsure of our response. Do we laugh? Do we cry? Or do we simply give up?

    Searching for God through the darkness.

    C. S. Lewis was once asked the question that eventually appears on every believer’s radar screen, “Why do the righteous suffer?” His reply was, “Why not? They are the only ones who can take it.” From a Christian perspective, dealing with disappointment is a good news/bad news story. The bad news is that a relationship with God does not exclude us from discouragement, tragedy, heartache, pain, or suffering. The good news is that a relationship with God equips us to handle disappointment in positive and constructive ways. Yet, in the midst of distress, many of us wonder if, as C. S. Lewis suggested, we can really take it.

    This is precisely why the inspired Word of God includes the story of Job, God’s faithful servant who gained the dubious honor of being the world’s foremost expert on human suffering. In his honest no-holds-barred tug-of-war between faith and suffering, Job teaches us the value of working through our difficulties instead of being dominated by them. His experience accurately reflects the observation of Helen Keller who said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”

    Those of us who have read the book of Job know that, despite his candid laments toward God, Job remains faithful and God rewards him by giving Job twice as much as he had before. Because we know the ending, many of us fail to grasp the full impact of Job’s experience. In the midst of his immense emotional and physical anguish, Job does not know how things in his life are going to turn out. He does not know that he will have more sons and daughters and grandchildren. All he knows is the incomprehensible pain of burying all ten of his children. Job does not know that he will be twice as rich as he was before. All he knows it the paralyzing anxiety of financial ruin. Job does not know that his reputation will grow and that his faith will inspire a multitude of generations. All he knows are the callous accusations of his friends who say that his suffering must be the result of some hideous secret sin. Job does not know that his relationship with God will be stronger and deeper and more satisfying than ever before. All he knows is that God seems to be absent and uncaring.

    We don’t have God’s eternal perspective in which to view our life’s story. Consequently, all many of us are able to see at this moment in time is a marriage that’s failing, a family divided, a bank statement that exposes debt, an addiction that seems unconquerable, an illness that appears incurable… It has been said that “those who know the path of God can find it in the dark.” Even though Job could not see too far ahead, he did indeed find the path to God through the darkness of disappointment. Along the way, he imparted a valuable lesson to fellow travelers like you and me.

    Job learned that trusting God is more important than understanding God.

    [Taken from “Night Vision“, an article on “Finding God’s light in the darkness of disappointment” by Rusty Tugman]

  • Verses To Help Strive For Good

    God has created and redeemed you that through you – as through the sun He illuminates the world – He may shine His light and life and love on men.

    Let us shine for our Lord, that we may draw others into His love.

    Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world! (Philippians 2:14-15)

    Let your gentleness be known to all men… (Philippians 4:5)

    The Saints are the sinners who keep on trying.

    Do all for the glory of God! (1 Corinthians 10:31)

    A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition… (2 Timothy 2:25)

    We exhort you… warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all… (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15).

    Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another; forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love – which binds them all together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:12-14).

    Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you – that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain to fall on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:44-45).

    Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who persecute you. Give to everyone who asks of you; lend, hoping for nothing in return. And you will be sons of the Most High – for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil (Luke 6:37-38).

    Stay open-minded about people and single-minded about what we are to do.

    Be merciful as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:36).

    Aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands… that you may walk properly toward those who are outside (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).

    The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).

    ..Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any virtue/moral excellence, and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things (Philippians 4:8).

    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. It is the Lord Jesus, the Christ, you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24).

    For this is the will of God [for you] that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men (1 Peter 2:15).

    Let your life portray the truth of what you say.

  • Verses To Help Us Shun Evil

    Life as a Christian is simple, but not easy.

    We must shun things that entice us to wander from His paths.

    Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:13-14).

    For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism (Colossians 3:25).

    Hate evil, love good. Maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy… (Amos 3:15)

    A good man produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil man produces evil things from his storeroom of evil. I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak! For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned (Matthew 12:35-37).

    Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue (Proverbs 17:28).

    But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:11-12).

    Repay no one evil for evil; have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:17-18).

    We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves (Romans 15:1).

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

    Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

    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)

    And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but (1) to fear the Lord your God, (2) to walk in all His ways, (3) to love Him, (4) to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and (5) to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

    But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you: (1) to love the Lord your God, (2) to walk in all His ways, (3) to obey His commands, (4) to hold fast to Him, and (5) to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul (Joshua 22:5).

    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).

  • Turn Toward The Straight Path

    As for me and my house – we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). It is good to state God’s Word with conviction. Conviction is good to strengthen the soul.

    Let us commit ourselves to following God’s enlightened paths.

    Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever (Psalm 93:5).

    We can walk in obedience to God’s Word and live a life of holiness.  Whatever your sins, the Bible does have the answer – there is hope.  But holiness is not only expected of us; it is the promised birthright of every Christian! 

    For I am the Lord who brought you up/out from the land of Egypt [the place of your slavery] to be your God, so you must be holy because I am holy(Leviticus 11:45).

    Certainly, sin shouldn’t have power over you because you are not controlled by laws, but by God’s favor (Romans 6:14).

    To be holy is to be morally blameless – both separated from sin and consecrated to God.  (Jeff Bridges)

    To do what is right and fair is more acceptable to the Lord than offering a sacrifice (Proverbs 21:3).

    The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell below (Proverbs 15:24).

    By fear of the Lord one departs from evil (Proverbs 16:6).

    Do not imitate what is evil, but what is good He who does good is of God. But he who does evil has not [yet] seen God (3 John 11).

    For you were bought at a [high] price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are [both] God’s (1 Corinthians 6:20).

    The spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing (John 6:63).

    That servant who knew his Master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes! (Luke 12:47)

    All the ways of a man [may be] pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit (Proverbs 16:2).

    As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man (Proverbs 27:19).

    Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Mark 7:23).

    Avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing they generate strife (2 Timothy 2:24).

    Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge (1 Timothy 6:20).

    Do not be rash with your mouth and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few! (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

    God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things – at all times, having all you need – you will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).

    Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29).

  • Turning to What Lies Ahead

    Today don’t make excuses for yourself.  Turn from a focus on how bad things are to how good God is.  Let today mark a new direction in your life.

    Let us start on our journey to follow God’s paths.

    So then those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator, and continue to do good (1 Peter 4:19).

    Put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge into the image of its Creator (Colossians 3:10).

    Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for in You do I trust.  Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You (Psalm 143:8).

    Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings (Psalm 17:8).

    I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed (Psalm 57:1).

    Therefore humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.  Casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7).

    Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.  He will never let the righteous fall (Psalm 55:22).

    Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all compassion and the God of all comfort.  Who comforts us in all our troubles so we can [learn to] comfort those in trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

    Weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

    Tears shed for self are tears of weakness.  Tears of love shed for others are signs of strength.

    May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow [to others] with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

    Trust in Him at all times, you people.  Pour out your hearts before Him.  God is our refuge (Psalm 62:8).

    If you want to understand God, to draw close to Him, forgive someone today.  When you forgive someone you are as close to God as you will ever be because in forgiving you are demonstrating the very heart of God, our merciful King.

    And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

    God will punish evil at the proper time.  Until then He promises to protect us.  Your challenge is to wait, trust He will balance the scales, and praise your Redeemer.

    When they had laid stripes on [the apostles], they cast them into prison, and made fast their feet in the stocks…  And at midnight, since they couldn’t sleep, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God (Acts 16:23-25).

    O there are heavenly heights to reach in many a fearful place. (Anna Laetitia Waring)

    If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. (Frank A Clark)

    Not all suffering is due to sin. Some is just a result of living in a broken world.

    You are a child of the God of the universe! Surrender to Him. Become His slave. I can assure you, after more than 50 years of experience, there is no greater adventure than following Him! He cares for you. Take Him at His Word. (Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ)

    I love You, O Lord, my strength (Psalm 18:1).

  • The Beginning of Faith

    Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

    Rely on God’s Word to build your faith.

    If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.  I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have preserved my life (Psalm 119:92-93).

    Do not rejoice over me, o my enemy.  Though I fall, I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me (Micah 7:8).

    Remember Lazarus had been dead for so long he was stinking, but Jesus raise him from the dead.  One of the lessons we can learn from Lazarus is that no matter how long we have our problems, none [not you nor any of your problems] are too old for a resurrection.

    Set me free from my prison that I may praise Your name.  Then the righteous will gather about me because of Your goodness to me (Psalm 142:7).

    How do you get the genuine fresh air of God’s forgiveness?  By genuinely admitting to God that you have made a mistake, knowing that God loves you more than He hates your mistake, and knowing He will forgive those mistakes.  We are not perfect, Father, but we are Yours.

    For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14).

    Behold!  What manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called “Children of God” (1 John 3:1).

    For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship; and by Him we cry “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may share in His glory (Romans 8:15-17).

    Because we are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out “Abba, Father.”  So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son God has made you also an heir (Galatians 4:6-7).

    God will do what is best for us.  But God doesn’t want to make us happy as much as He wants to make us holy.

    Since a man’s steps are directed by the Lord, why then does anyone try to understand his own way?  (Proverbs 20:24)

    Let no one despise your youth/age [or experience] but be an example to [other] believers; in word and deed, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity (1 Timothy 4:12).

    God reveals Himself to those who search for Him.  God often communicates His desires for us by wise counsel of parents and mentors.

    God helps us to avoid future mistakes by sending people to correct us.  When you are corrected, use the opportunity to learn and to improve your attitude.

    Let each one examine his own works, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another (Galatians 6:4).

    At some point in life, each one of us must decide what his/her highest joy is.  The thing that delights us is what directs us.

    We don’t serve men, we serve God.  Have no expectations of men, they only disappoint.  Focus on a relationship with Jesus and there will be an overflow for others.