The Lord! The Lord has done this!
My soul is at home while my body sucks dust.
Where your treasure is, so your heart will be also.
I am a citizen of heaven proclaiming the unseen.
Considered a fool among men, my lips stammer His Glory.
I have seen with my blindness a promise of He who cannot lie.
And my hands reach out frantically to touch the feet of The Righteous One!
No longer do I belong to this world of foolishness and sin.
I am His!
The Lord! The Lord has done this!
By His Grace.
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This thought has been posted before. I can’t remember where or how long ago. But it’s a thought which bears repeating a thousand times anyway.
It is not appropriate for us to leave doubt in the minds of people as to our salvation. When someone dies, we often will hear, “I hope he’s in heaven now”. I am constantly struck by the importance of our witness in this regard. Wouldn’t it be better for everyone who knew you to be able to say, “I know he’s with the Lord now. Because everything about that man dripped Jesus.”
What shall be our witness? Consider what the Lord said in regard to this: “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” (Luke 13:24) Salvation is not simply asking God to save you through Jesus. If that were so we would see Christians and churches filled to over flowing with horrible examples of the transforming power of Christ. Oh. Wait, isn’t this the current state of affairs in America? Sorry to have offended the majority.
Strive to leave a legacy of God’s work in you. Of all the things you can leave behind, holy living should be our utmost concern.
By His Grace.
“Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” So it is promised by The Lord of Truth and Life. So it is, and forever will be, true. Does that mean we should never speak the truth to those who mock the Lord’s ways? No. It simply states that you will be hated for speaking what is true.
To rebuke those who hate God and deny His Lordship is much like speaking to a brick wall saying, “You are in my way. Move aside.” The bricks will give you the same regard as those who hate God’s ways. I encourage Christians to stand and speak against foolishness spoken by those who are blind. It is possible that the Lord will open their eyes some day. And when that happens, they will remember your words and be ashamed.
Jesus is the redeemer of hearts and souls. For now they stand before Him as a snake in it’s hole; neither lovable nor promising. But I once stood as such also. And now I do see and understand the Honor of God. He is Holy. They, for now, are unholy and godless. Continue to hold out the words of life without shame or fear. This is how the Lord walked among us. And isn’t it our privilege to walk in the same world God was crucified in?
Cowards and the trembling are not useful in the redemption of souls. It is those who will stand without shame who will allow the Lord to venture into the hearts of the ungodly. They will remember your words come that day of God’s appearing. So stand without fear. Speak with the power given the people of God. And do not fear their hatred. They already hate you because you are His. Is it that you fear the appearance of their hatred and mocking? They have no fear or shame before the Most High God now. But the day will come when they will hate their own lips.
Speak and act as those who are not a part of this world’s hatred of God. “Fearlessness is a definite sign of your victory.” (http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/walking-in-a-fearless-life-style-jeff-budzinski-sermon-on-bible-influence-103382.asp) So be filled with the courage of your hope. And do not allow shame to cover the work of the Holy Spirit within you. Stand and speak with full assurance that the words of truth hold the power you have professed. The world will mock you. The world will hate you. Why is that something to be afraid of? Isn’t that what was promised by the Lord Jesus? “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Mark 13:13)
By His Grace.
Image by Official U.S. Navy Imagery via Flickr
I listened to two men on a radio show. They were presenting themselves as financial advisors. One of them went off on his soap box a while. He was recalling the oil spill in the gulf and mentioned the situation in Greece. He pointed out how the media was trying to lead us into a belief that the world was going to end. His point was that though bad things happen, all is well on the western front (so to speak).
I felt there was something wrong with what he was saying. I pondered the point he made in my soul and came away with this:
A fleet of ships has been given the task of venturing across the ocean to a far shore. They were sent on a specific task to a specific place, a pin point location thousands of miles away. On either side of the fleet are waters teaming with pirates, hidden projections in the waters, storms which tend to draw or push the fleet off course, and many other hazards. Their navigator, on the lead ship, is the son of the father of the owner. So the sailors aren’t willing to disrobe him of his duties, though he sucks at his job. There are friendly ships guarding the fleet on the right and left. So when the ships tend to drift off course these friendly ships shoot across the bow of the fleet’s lead ship. This lead ship sends back messages that everyone is to correct their course. Having corrected their course, the Captain and officers of the lead ship again turn to the stupidity of the navigator.
This is how it is for the world. They drift into sin and forget who’s in charge and the orders they have from Him. Yet, in His mercy, He directs troubles to threaten our way. In fear men turn back to what is right. But when calm comes again to their path, they begin to drift back into sin. What will God eventually do to those who act this way? He does not desire to have people who must be led by a ring in their nose. He is looking for willing participants in His ways.
By His Grace.
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All the world will hate God’s people. Because it is God’s hatred for what the world holds as “highly valued” which divides the world and God. Godless and ungodly people aspire to gain what they cannot keep. God continually calls for all people to lay aside those aspirations and search earnestly after His Riches.
We are created. He is the creator. But the world will hold God in contempt because He does not recognize the royalty of man’s foolish lies.
By His Grace.
Something interesting is appearing before me. I posted an article regarding Glenn Beck being a part of the drama which will unfold as God raises up His two witnesses (as told in the book of Revelation). I’ve watched a thread develop in which some speculate the issue. All of us will ponder the advent of this prophecy. And we are all correct to do so. But something very interesting has presented itself in this thread.
It’s a human condition to try to identify a mystery by using the information we have at our disposal first. We learn this from children’s games; “I spy with my little eye” and such other games. But as we become adults we often try to find more information before we make guesses about things of such importance. Why would Americans look to Americans as the source of God’s two witnesses? Or even look to Obama as the anti-christ? The world is a very large place. But we look to what we know first, don’t we.
Such a narrow field of candidates leaves a rather wide margin for the billions of “others” on this planet. And it’s very likely that these two people are not Americans at all. Consider one passage in that scripture regarding these two witnesses: “They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.” Look how the Lord describes them. He is using heavenly terms which indicate that they “STAND” before the Lord of Heaven. They are not your every day average American. They are Holy men. Holy in the sense of God’s standards. To ascribe this kind of Holiness to Glenn Beck or any other average American is a bit on the nonsense side. These two men will be of a very special breed. It is God, Himself, who has appointed His two witnesses.
Another issue regarding these two men has to do with the wickedness of man. I got a feeling that if modern man met Elijah or Moses they would be sunk to their knees with the focus of God these men owned. Remember how Elijah put to death the prophets of baal with the sword? Blood was not unfamiliar to Elijah. I don’t think he would fit into your local garden party crowd. And consider Moses. A man of firm conviction regarding obedience to God’s law. How would the average group of modern men react to such a man in their Sunday morning service?
I think Americans (and thus many other modern people) miss the entire message of Holiness God is speaking. It would be wise to discontinue speculation regarding these men if we are going to use our own frame of wickedness to pick them ourselves.
By His Grace.
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