Articles for October 2017

Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth do I hate.” 

The fear of the LORD can mean a holy awe or reverence of God, but it can also mean to be apprehensive or afraid. On the one hand, the love and reverence of God causes us to incorporate godly traits into our lives.  On the other hand, we should be aware of God’s chastisement on our lives if we choose to go against Him.

The Christian life is not an ‘anything goes life’. God desires for us to turn away from the human characteristics that displease Him.  He desires us to follow the principle of,  “If God’s against it, so am I”.

This verse is quite specific – It says if we fear God we will:

• Hate evil
• Have no pride or arrogancy in our life
• Will not participate in the evil way
• Will not speak wrongly or with a froward mouth

Basically, those that love God will live holy and separated lives. I’ve often said, and will probably say it many more times, if we claim to be Christians and love God that our lives need to be different.  They need to SHOW that God is present in our lives.

I appreciate the statement made by attorney David Gibbs, “If you were in a court of law, would there be enough evidence to convict you of being a Christian?”  Our lives need to be a living testimony before the world that we love God and He is real!

Psalm 109:26a, “Help me, O LORD my God;” 

This is a simple forthright prayer. It covers a vast amount of need.  Sometimes this is all we can say – “Help me.”  Our need can seem so great and our strength is so-so-so small.

We can often feel like Peter in Matthew 14:30, as he was sinking into the water. His simple cry was, “Lord, save me.”  There was no long dissertation explaining the problem and there were no directions given on how he was to be saved.  This was simply a sincere cry for help because he had a need.

(An interjection here. A while back I discovered that most of my Christian life I have been praying about a need and they suggesting to God how He ought to answer it.  Sometimes I was quite descriptive in my expectations.  When God did not answer according to my desires or timetable, I felt these prayers had gone unanswered.  Later, when I looked back, I saw that God had answered but it was done according to His will and plan.  I learned He didn’t need my help, He just desired for me to present the need and trust Him to answer in His way and time.)

Jesus was there to help Peter and He is here to help us, even in the times that all we can do is say, “Help me.”   All we need to do is ask.   Psalm 107:6,  “Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.”  What wonderful promises are in the Word!

Psalm 92:1,2, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:  To shew forth thy loving-kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night,” 

This really in an inspiring verse – it instructs us how to start the day and how to end the day. This simple step of following these two directives can set the tone for the entire day.

When you wake up, start the day with thanksgiving and praise. Acknowledge that God loves you and that He cares about you.   (I Peter 5:7).  As you walk through the day, focus on the fact that God is with you – wanting to direct, comfort, teach, and meet every need that you have.

Life is so unpredictable – unexpected things can show up at any time and throw us off kilter, but always remember that nothing takes God by surprise. He already has a plan and course of action for every scenario we face in life.  We can be surprised by the happenings of life – but God never is.  Keep your mind focused on Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

As you end the day, thank God for the loving kindness and faithfulness that He has shown you throughout the day.

Basically, you are waking up to a time of praise. You are walking through the day acknowledging God’s presence in your life.  And, you are going to bed thanking Him for His faithfulness.  ——    Now, that is a GOOD DAY indeed!

Proverbs 29:27, “An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.” 

This verse is a true picture of good versus evil.

Sin and wickedness cause the godly man to recoil. They turn from a person who engages in a sinful life style.  On the flip side, those who are wicked and sinful recoil at a just and righteous man.  There is no meeting ground between them.  They are  at odds with each other – each feeling distain for the other.

Only God can bridge the gap between the wicked and the righteous. This can only be done through what Christ did for us on the cross.  The righteous should never condescend to the level of the wicked, but the wicked can move up to the level of being righteous. Those who were enemies can become brothers through Christ.

Remember that we are all sinners – some of us are saved sinners and others are lost sinners. I’m sure you have heard the expression “There go I but by the grace of God” – meaning that all of us could be guilty of just about anything if God had not intervened.  Don’t get puffed up and feel that you are better than others.  Always remember that your righteousness comes from God and that this is offered to ‘anyone’ who will acknowledge their sin and accept the Lord as their Saviour.

We are to hate the wickedness and sin of those that do not love God, but we are to love the person and always be ready to present the TRUTH (Christ) to them. We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will draw them to salvation! We need to pray that God will allow us to see through their sin and see a person that Jesus died for!

Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” 

This verse could easily read – some trust in money and possessions, or some trust in position and prestige, or possibly some trust in education. The counter truth is still the same – only trusting in God will bring the security and peace that people are searching for.  It is not that there is anything wrong with the above mentioned items;  it’s just that we are not to focus on these areas and leave God out of the picture.  This happens all too often in people’s lives.  It can happen to us if we are not careful.

The theme of the entire Bible is to trust God. It never says trust in your wealth, or your ingenuity, or in your position to get you through the challenges and problems of life.  The answer to every scenario is always the same – TRUST God.

God truly is worthy of our trust. You may say, DUH, – of course He is.  You know that, and I know that.  At lease with our minds we know, but so often our actions say something completely differently.  Actions really do speak louder than words.

Does your life exhibit that your are trusting in the Lord? This means:  You will not worry about the uncertainties or problems of life.  You will not fret about what you cannot control.  You will not need to understand why God is allowing certain things to happen.   You will believe that God is in control of everything in your lives no matter what it is.  Trust is ________.  You fill in the blanks with the areas that you need to work on in your life.

Remember – your security is not in those chariots or those horses – it’s in the LORD. Let’s demonstrate with our lives that we truly believe this!

Psalm 68:19 “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.”

This verse tells us that God daily (every day) loadeth (means lots and lots) us with benefits (blessings).

How can we combat the problems of life, the hardships, and the disappointments?   The answer is quite simple – instead of focusing on the difficulties of life, focus on the blessings!  Don’t just focus on them – count them, name them one by one.  We often miss the blessings of God because we are not looking for them.  God tells us that He daily gives us loads of them.

God desires that we get our eyes off of our problems. Don’t narrow your vision so that you can only see the things that are going wrong in your life.  Purposefully expand your line of vision so you see the loads of blessings that God has provided every day.

God says His blessings are right in front of you – lots of them. We need to pay attention, we need to look for them.  We need to acknowledge our blessings.  We need to count them one by one.  We need to name them and thank God for them  –  EVERY DAY!

I don’t believe it is possible to have a gloomy, down spirit if we are acknowledging and focusing on the wonderful blessings that God is showering us with daily.  Be the kind of person that lights up the day for others because you are praising God and thanking Him!

Proverbs 23:7a “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”

You’ve probably heard the statement, “You are what you eat.” This is probably true concerning your physical body.  Our health does depend on eating properly.  But, WHO we are depends on what is in our heart.  What is in your heart depends on what you feed your mind.  If what goes into your mind and heart is God honoring – reading the Bible, meditating, prayer, doing good, seeking to please God, etc., then that is what your life will demonstrate – godly traits.  If what goes into your mind and heart is T.V. programs, selfish thoughts, computer addiction, ungodly things, etc. then that is what will show in your life.

So what does this mean? It means that we need to watch what we feed our mind because what goes into our mind determines what is in our heart and that will determine what we do and how we live.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.”

Keep thy heart. This is a command, God is saying you keep your heart.  This certainly sounds like our responsibility.  God is telling us that we have a part in this walk with Him.  I know that we would prefer God to do it all – with no effort or work on our part.  It would be nice to be zapped and then do everything right from then on, but God does not work that way.  We have a wise Father who knows if we don’t put some work and effort into our walk with Him, we will not grow and develop the character that we should.

God tells us that we have a responsibility here – but He does not expect us to do it alone. It’s like He is saying, “You (meaning us) take that first step and from there, I (God) will be with you to help you the rest of the way.”  I honestly think if we do not make this initial effort that we will never be on the path to serving God the way we should.

God says – keep your heart right and your life will be right – plain and simple!

Psalm 46:1   “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” 

Life is full, Full, FULL of problems, problems, problems. I think you get the point.  Some days are more problem filled than others.  God does have an answer in His Word to every problem we face: small, medium and large – His answers fit all sizes!

The first thing we need to realize is that the problem isn’t the problem. HUH!   Okay, I’ll put it another way.  What comes into our lives every day does not have to confuse, discomfort, upset, and completely frustrate us.  It isn’t what we face in life that is the problem, it’s that we are looking in a horizontal direction instead of a vertical one.  We see everything that is going on around us and forget Who is in charge.

Problems are real, frustrations are real, BUT, so is God. He is not only real, He cares and  is ultimately in charge of everything that comes into our lives.  He never promised, ever, that we would have a problem free life.  He did promise that we could have a peaceful, joyful life.  (Isaiah 26:3 says it all, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because He trusteth in thee.”)  This is a promise from the Almighty God who created the universe and He cannot lie.

So-so-so…any discomfort we face in life boils down to us.  We don’t trust that God is bigger than our needs and problems and that He cares about what is happening in our lives.  We simply don’t believe that He is in charge.

Peace is available to all of us, but the condition is that our minds be focused (stayed) on the Lord. This in one of the disciplines that we cannot accomplish in our own strength, but God is so gracious, He has provided the Holy Spirit to live within us and to help us in this task.  God has not left us alone to walk through this Christian life.  He wants us to depend on the Holy Spirit and ask Him to help us.  He is always available, but we must yield to His guidance.

Proverbs 5:21 “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his goings.”

“Our ways are always visible to God. In other words, He sees everything we do – all day, every day, all the time.  Not only does He see what we do, He also sees what we think.  He knows the motivation behind all that we do.  This verse goes along with my life verse,  Psalm 116:9,  ” I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”  It is my choice to stay focused on the fact that everything I do is in the presence of God.

The fact is that God is always here. Nothing is done is secret or without His knowledge.  This can be a motivating factor in two ways.  One, it should KEEP us from doing things that are against His Word and directives for us.  Two, it should help us to DO the things that He instructs us to do in His Word.

We often think of God’s presence as a deterrent from doing wrong, and it should be. But, it is also a motivation to do right.  God sees all the right choices we make.  He is paying attention.  When we choose to do right and follow His ways, this pleases Him.  This opens up opportunities for wonderful blessings in our lives.  I believe that God keeps a record of all the RIGHT decisions and choices we make – large or small.

The next time you are faced with the dilemma of choosing – picture the Lord as being there right beside you and seek His guidance and help. James 1:5 says,  “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”  This is a promise from God Himself!

I John 3:1a,  “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:”

The idea of God’s love is so far above my human reasoning that I truly cannot understand it.

Why God loves me is unanswerable, but, the fact that He does love me is simple to answer.  I know that He loves me because the Bible tells me so!

There are many verses that clearly state that He loves us. For example: John 3:16, Romans 5:8, Romans 8:38,39.

We need to grasp the truth that this wonderful, all powerful God loves us. When we accepted Jesus as our Saviour, we were born into His family,  (John 1:12).  We are now His sons and daughters and He is our heavenly Father, (I John 3:1).  He loves us as a Father and He is always there for us as we walk through this uncertain life.  He desires to fellowship with us.  He desires to lead us.  He desires to be an active, vital part of our everyday living.  (Isaiah 41:10)  He also will discipline us when we go astray, (Hebrews 12:11).

It is true that I cannot understand this unconditional love, but I do accept it and I do thank God over and over again every day that He offers this love to me. The purpose of today’s blog is to bring into focus this amazing truth.  God is no respecter of persons – He loves us all equally.

My prayer is that we would all embrace the truth that God loves us – it would change our lives forever!