So great is His love and mercy! Knowing all that Peter would do and not do, He still chose him to be the rock upon which He would build His church.
Sometimes we deny Jesus. Maybe with our lips as Peter did, “And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.” Or by the way we live our lives: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
Sometimes we give in to the thoughts of Satan. “But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’”
Sometimes we go back to our old ways and forget for a time all that the Lord has shown us. “Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.”
Sometimes we let the fear of criticism stop us from standing on the truth of the Word of God. “For before that certain came from James, he [Peter] did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.”
Despite all Peter’s failings toward the Lord, Jesus still called him out of darkness. He still gave him power to heal and to deliver. He still chose Peter as one of three to see Him in all His glory at the Mount of Transfiguration. He still bestowed upon him the power to walk on water. He still loved him and His grace was ever present through all Peter’s trials and sufferings.
Not only is Peter the rock upon which Christ’s church is built, against which even the gates of hell shall not prevail! But, he is the prime example of our own humanity and the love of God that will never leave us nor forsake us. Forget all of our inadequacies. For it is in our weakness that He is made strong! Hallelujah!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Ringing In My Ears...
...so to speak. Driving home, listening to music and just letting my mind wander on God, I ended up with a jumble of scriptures and thoughts that I couldn't truly process until I got them out on paper. This is what I ended up with...
Our righteous living—or attempt at anyhow—is not our salvation. Our church attendance is not our salvation. Our tithes and offerings are not our salvation. The grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His blood shed on the cross are our only hope for salvation.
When we come to the knowledge of this truth, when we answer His calling, we should forsake the things of this world that keep us in bondage. We should put away sin. I know that sounds elementary, but honestly, how much do we hold on to? Put away the lies (especially to ourselves), put away the gossip, put away the lusts, and put away that desire to serve the dollar bill over serving our Creator. Sin separates us from God, plain and simple.
This is not to say that we don’t all sin because we do. At some point, we all fall short, and for that we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ. But to continue in sin after coming to the truth, “God forbid,” as Paul so blatantly put it.
We must strive to live righteously, soberly and godly in this life. To live otherwise is to go against the very Spirit that teaches us. Forsake the sins that keep us in bondage, but don’t forsake the leading of the Holy Spirit. For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Relish that freedom and cling to the Lord with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul.
Then, I spent the afternoon locating scriptures to go with my thoughts--some were obvious, some it was my first time reading. I was actually surprised (maybe I shouldn't be?) to see how much of God's Word came out when I sat down to compose my thoughts. I guess surprised because sometimes it seems like it's so hard to remember, but I keep plugging away anyhow. If I could have a favorite for the day, it's obvious below which it was. :)
Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
1 Thessalonians 5:8-10 “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” (Hallelujah!!)
1 Timothy 2:4 “Who [God] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
Isaiah 1:16 “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;”
Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”
Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
Matthew 22:37-40 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Our righteous living—or attempt at anyhow—is not our salvation. Our church attendance is not our salvation. Our tithes and offerings are not our salvation. The grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His blood shed on the cross are our only hope for salvation.
When we come to the knowledge of this truth, when we answer His calling, we should forsake the things of this world that keep us in bondage. We should put away sin. I know that sounds elementary, but honestly, how much do we hold on to? Put away the lies (especially to ourselves), put away the gossip, put away the lusts, and put away that desire to serve the dollar bill over serving our Creator. Sin separates us from God, plain and simple.
This is not to say that we don’t all sin because we do. At some point, we all fall short, and for that we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ. But to continue in sin after coming to the truth, “God forbid,” as Paul so blatantly put it.
We must strive to live righteously, soberly and godly in this life. To live otherwise is to go against the very Spirit that teaches us. Forsake the sins that keep us in bondage, but don’t forsake the leading of the Holy Spirit. For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Relish that freedom and cling to the Lord with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul.
Then, I spent the afternoon locating scriptures to go with my thoughts--some were obvious, some it was my first time reading. I was actually surprised (maybe I shouldn't be?) to see how much of God's Word came out when I sat down to compose my thoughts. I guess surprised because sometimes it seems like it's so hard to remember, but I keep plugging away anyhow. If I could have a favorite for the day, it's obvious below which it was. :)
Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
1 Thessalonians 5:8-10 “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” (Hallelujah!!)
1 Timothy 2:4 “Who [God] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
Isaiah 1:16 “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;”
Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”
Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
Matthew 22:37-40 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) weren't given to Moses just for God to lay out His supreme authority. God is God whether we choose to acknowledge Him or not. I think that He gave us those commandments to keep us as we give our children rules to keep them safe.
1. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," and 2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them..." -- The Lord is not made by man's hands, but He is our Creator. He is our loving Father, our Protector and Provider. Putting anything before Him roadblocks that protection and provision--just as I cannot keep my children under my wing unless they allow me to.
3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain..." -- Works of vanity ultimately destroy our integrity, which in turn leaves us with an emptiness that we are ever-searching to fill.
4. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." -- A day of rest God provided for His people, to be renewed both physically and spiritually. Without this our bodies and souls deteriorate quickly.
5. "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land..." -- Denying the position God gave our parents eventually damages our own hearts and destroys the strength of family in future generations.
6. "Thou shalt not kill," 7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery," 8. "Thou shalt not steal," 9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor," and 10. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet they neighbor's wife..." -- All of these acts emotionally damage us, they create mental torment, they cause us to deny our own self-worth, and they destroy relationships.
His love is so great that He wanted to protect us from all the disastrous "side effects" that sin carries on this earth, not to mention eternally. Yet the greatest commandments of all, by which the others are fulfilled:
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matt 22:37-40)
1. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," and 2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them..." -- The Lord is not made by man's hands, but He is our Creator. He is our loving Father, our Protector and Provider. Putting anything before Him roadblocks that protection and provision--just as I cannot keep my children under my wing unless they allow me to.
3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain..." -- Works of vanity ultimately destroy our integrity, which in turn leaves us with an emptiness that we are ever-searching to fill.
4. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." -- A day of rest God provided for His people, to be renewed both physically and spiritually. Without this our bodies and souls deteriorate quickly.
5. "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land..." -- Denying the position God gave our parents eventually damages our own hearts and destroys the strength of family in future generations.
6. "Thou shalt not kill," 7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery," 8. "Thou shalt not steal," 9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor," and 10. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet they neighbor's wife..." -- All of these acts emotionally damage us, they create mental torment, they cause us to deny our own self-worth, and they destroy relationships.
His love is so great that He wanted to protect us from all the disastrous "side effects" that sin carries on this earth, not to mention eternally. Yet the greatest commandments of all, by which the others are fulfilled:
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matt 22:37-40)
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