True Christians are very special people. They do not respond to people and situations like the worldly people respond.
Jesus teaches us to "... Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." Luke 6:27-28
We should not give back to others as they give unto us. But rather we should give unto others as Christ would give unto them. During this life we will be lied to and lied on, done wrong, stabbed in the back by so-called-friends, and hated.
There is special blessing in store for those who can give love in return for hate and love their enemies.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
The Beattitudes or The Blessed Attitudes
"Blessed are the poor in spirit ... they that mourn ... the meek ... they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness ... the merciful ... the pure in heart ... the peacemakers ... they which are persecuted ... Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad; for great is your reward in heaven ..." Matthew 5:1-12
"Blessed" here literally means "happy, fortunate, & blissful", the divinely bestowed well-being that belongs only to the faithful. The way to heavenly blessing is the opposite of the way to worldly pursuit of happiness which is found in riches, merriment, abundance, leisure, and such things (MacArthur).
Blessed are the people who possess godly characteristics. Those with a penitent spirit, mild-tempered, gentle spirit, thirsting for righteousness, compassionate and merciful spirit, the spirit of mediation, long-suffering and forgiving spirit. These characteristics are God-given and are evidence of the indwelling of The Holy Spirit within the Christian.
We will be blessed for exhibiting these Godly attitudes and characteristics while we are here on earth living in a world that behaves totally differently.
"Blessed" here literally means "happy, fortunate, & blissful", the divinely bestowed well-being that belongs only to the faithful. The way to heavenly blessing is the opposite of the way to worldly pursuit of happiness which is found in riches, merriment, abundance, leisure, and such things (MacArthur).
Blessed are the people who possess godly characteristics. Those with a penitent spirit, mild-tempered, gentle spirit, thirsting for righteousness, compassionate and merciful spirit, the spirit of mediation, long-suffering and forgiving spirit. These characteristics are God-given and are evidence of the indwelling of The Holy Spirit within the Christian.
We will be blessed for exhibiting these Godly attitudes and characteristics while we are here on earth living in a world that behaves totally differently.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Unclaimed Blessings
Don't you want all of the blessings that God has in store for you? I have heard it said that blessings that God has in store for us cannot be claimed by anyone else. I have also heard that a number of blessings go "unclaimed" because we do not do that which is necessary to receive them. God blesses us daily, but we could receive even more blessings if we would do a better job of following the word of God.
"Thus saith The Lord, Keep ye judgement, and do justice; for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this ... that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil." Isaiah 56:1-2
Keeping the Sabbath is more than doing the right thing on Sunday. It implies a commitment to a lifestyle of devotion to The Lord and a practical reorganization of every day of the week around Him. We need to be more Christ-like every day. Some blessings we receive just because God is so good and gracious. Some blessings are conditional, we must do something to receive them.
I know that I have missed out on some blessings in the past, but I want to receive as many of the conditional blessings as I can in the future. Don't you want all of the blessings that God has in store for you? If you do, then act like it.
"Thus saith The Lord, Keep ye judgement, and do justice; for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this ... that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil." Isaiah 56:1-2
Keeping the Sabbath is more than doing the right thing on Sunday. It implies a commitment to a lifestyle of devotion to The Lord and a practical reorganization of every day of the week around Him. We need to be more Christ-like every day. Some blessings we receive just because God is so good and gracious. Some blessings are conditional, we must do something to receive them.
I know that I have missed out on some blessings in the past, but I want to receive as many of the conditional blessings as I can in the future. Don't you want all of the blessings that God has in store for you? If you do, then act like it.
Friday, February 11, 2011
A Priestly Benediction
The Lord spoke unto Moses, telling him to speak unto Aaron and his sons the priests, to speak unto the people saying, "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; The Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace ... and I will bless them." Numbers 6:22-27
The priests were instructed to pronounce God's many fold blessings upon the people. I offer this same priestly benediction and blessing for you. That God will bless you, protect you, be with you, shine all around you, and grant you His favor, love, and total well-being.
The priests were instructed to pronounce God's many fold blessings upon the people. I offer this same priestly benediction and blessing for you. That God will bless you, protect you, be with you, shine all around you, and grant you His favor, love, and total well-being.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Being Blessed And Having God With Us
"Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and I will bless thee ..." Genesis 26:3 Isaac was obedient and he was blessed.
Sometimes blessings come from going when and where God tell us to go. Some blessings come from being in the right place at the right time. Obedience to God's word and direction will result in our being blessed.
God is everywhere, all at the same time, but having God "with" us is special. God was "with" Isaac, when he sowed, he received a one hundred fold increase. Genesis 26:12 God blessed him. There are twelve other examples of God being "with" men in the Bible. God was "with" Ishmael, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Jeremiah, Jesus, and Paul.
If we obey God's word, the same can happen to us, we will be blessed and God can be "with" us.
Sometimes blessings come from going when and where God tell us to go. Some blessings come from being in the right place at the right time. Obedience to God's word and direction will result in our being blessed.
God is everywhere, all at the same time, but having God "with" us is special. God was "with" Isaac, when he sowed, he received a one hundred fold increase. Genesis 26:12 God blessed him. There are twelve other examples of God being "with" men in the Bible. God was "with" Ishmael, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Jeremiah, Jesus, and Paul.
If we obey God's word, the same can happen to us, we will be blessed and God can be "with" us.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
O Bless The Lord
"Bless The Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless The Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits..." Psalms 103:1-2
Praise God. Praise Him for all that He has done for us. Praise Him for all of His earthly gifts and blessings. Praise God for forgiveness of sin, for the recovery from sickness, for delivery from death, for abundant loving kindness, for tender mercies, and for the food to sustain life.
These are but a few of the many ways in which God has blessed us. He has blessed us in more ways than we can count or completely list. We can't praise Him or thank Him enough. All we can say is "Bless The Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name."
Praise God. Praise Him for all that He has done for us. Praise Him for all of His earthly gifts and blessings. Praise God for forgiveness of sin, for the recovery from sickness, for delivery from death, for abundant loving kindness, for tender mercies, and for the food to sustain life.
These are but a few of the many ways in which God has blessed us. He has blessed us in more ways than we can count or completely list. We can't praise Him or thank Him enough. All we can say is "Bless The Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name."
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Acknowledge Our Sins And Confess
Whether we know it or not, every sin we commit is a sin against God. See Psalms 51:4 Recognizing that, we need to do as David did.
"I acknowledge my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I will confess my transgressions unto The Lord ... For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee ..." Psalms 32:5-6
David knew that he was wrong and that his sins were an affront to The Lord. He confessed his sins unto The Lord and we should do likewise. All Christians, "... every one that is godly ..." should pray, confess our transgressions, ask for forgiveness, and ask for the help and strength not to repeat a particular sin.
We can become more Christ-like if we can eliminate one sinful thought, deed, or spoken word from our behavior each day. That will by no means make us sinless or perfect. It just means that we will be more Christ-like today than we were yesterday, and even more so on tomorrow.
Being like Christ requires an active effort on our part including prayer, confession, not yielding to temptation, and thinking before we speak or act. We should ask ourselves beforehand, will this give God glory and would Jesus say of do this?
If Christians acted more Christ-like, the world would be a better place.
"I acknowledge my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I will confess my transgressions unto The Lord ... For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee ..." Psalms 32:5-6
David knew that he was wrong and that his sins were an affront to The Lord. He confessed his sins unto The Lord and we should do likewise. All Christians, "... every one that is godly ..." should pray, confess our transgressions, ask for forgiveness, and ask for the help and strength not to repeat a particular sin.
We can become more Christ-like if we can eliminate one sinful thought, deed, or spoken word from our behavior each day. That will by no means make us sinless or perfect. It just means that we will be more Christ-like today than we were yesterday, and even more so on tomorrow.
Being like Christ requires an active effort on our part including prayer, confession, not yielding to temptation, and thinking before we speak or act. We should ask ourselves beforehand, will this give God glory and would Jesus say of do this?
If Christians acted more Christ-like, the world would be a better place.
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