When Job was feeling down, his friend Zophar told him to repent and said to him, "Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety." Job 11:13-18 (NIV)
Job had insisted that he was innocent and his friend was encouraging him to admit his sins and repent. While Job was not perfect or sinless, the Bible says that the was "blameless and upright, and on who feared God and shunned evil". Most of us would not measure up to Job, but the advice that his friend gave him would be very appropriate for us.
We should ask God to forgive us for our sins, devote our lives to Him, put away our evil sinful ways, and stop focusing on our problems because God is bigger than all of our problems. No matter what is going on in our lives, our God is the reason that there is hope.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Don't Envy Others Enjoy Your Blessings
"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." Proverbs 14:30 (NIV)
A healthy mind filled with wisdom is associated with a healthy body. Envy and jealousy are like suffering from a painful incurable condition that destroys your insides. They are like a passionate hatred which produces only corruption, distress and shortens ones life. Whereas a healthy heart and mind leads to longevity
Be thankful and rejoice in the things which The Lord has blessed you with, and do not worry or fret over the blessing that others receive. Everything that we want is not good for us, and somethings that others have we could not handle. Often we are not willing to pay the price that others paid to get what they have. So count your blessings and enjoy them.
A healthy mind filled with wisdom is associated with a healthy body. Envy and jealousy are like suffering from a painful incurable condition that destroys your insides. They are like a passionate hatred which produces only corruption, distress and shortens ones life. Whereas a healthy heart and mind leads to longevity
Be thankful and rejoice in the things which The Lord has blessed you with, and do not worry or fret over the blessing that others receive. Everything that we want is not good for us, and somethings that others have we could not handle. Often we are not willing to pay the price that others paid to get what they have. So count your blessings and enjoy them.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Bad Times Are Only A Test
"... The Lord gave and The Lord has taken away; may the name of The Lord be praised." "... Shall we accept good from and not trouble?" Job 1:21 & 2:10 (NIV)
No matter how bad things are going with us, none of us have it as bad as Job had it. Job went from being on top of the world (Job 1:1-3) to losing all of his possessions (Job 1:14-17) and losing all of his children (Job 1:18-19). Then he even lost he health (Job 2:7).
"In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." Job 1:22 (NIV) God allowed Satan to test Job (Job 1:8 & 2:3-6). Job passed his test, he kept the faith and did not curse God. He did eventually question God, but he soon repented for that.
Bad things happen to good people. Some times we are reaping the results of our own bad choices and some times we are just being tested. Regardless of why we go through bad times, we are to continue to praise God. After Job passed his tests, God blessed him with twice as much as he had before the bad times began (Job 42:10).
When bad things happen to us, we should pray and continue to have faith in God. It' only a test.
No matter how bad things are going with us, none of us have it as bad as Job had it. Job went from being on top of the world (Job 1:1-3) to losing all of his possessions (Job 1:14-17) and losing all of his children (Job 1:18-19). Then he even lost he health (Job 2:7).
"In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." Job 1:22 (NIV) God allowed Satan to test Job (Job 1:8 & 2:3-6). Job passed his test, he kept the faith and did not curse God. He did eventually question God, but he soon repented for that.
Bad things happen to good people. Some times we are reaping the results of our own bad choices and some times we are just being tested. Regardless of why we go through bad times, we are to continue to praise God. After Job passed his tests, God blessed him with twice as much as he had before the bad times began (Job 42:10).
When bad things happen to us, we should pray and continue to have faith in God. It' only a test.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Our Words Thoughts And Hidden Sins
"Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalms 19:12-14 (NIV)
Some people feel that if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, then they are okay with God. The problem with that thinking is we do not really know what is good or bad from God's perspective. We think that some things are neutral, neither good or bad. The Bible says that all unrighteousness is sin. We commit sins that we are unaware of, in addition to those that we commit knowingly.
Therefore we should ask God for forgiveness of all of the sins we committed consciously and unconsciously, as well as sins of omission in addition to sins of commission. We should pray for God's help to guide our words and our thoughts, as well as our actions, that they may please Him. We need His help to keep our sinful nature from having rule over us and to keep us from hidden sins and willful sins.
Some people feel that if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, then they are okay with God. The problem with that thinking is we do not really know what is good or bad from God's perspective. We think that some things are neutral, neither good or bad. The Bible says that all unrighteousness is sin. We commit sins that we are unaware of, in addition to those that we commit knowingly.
Therefore we should ask God for forgiveness of all of the sins we committed consciously and unconsciously, as well as sins of omission in addition to sins of commission. We should pray for God's help to guide our words and our thoughts, as well as our actions, that they may please Him. We need His help to keep our sinful nature from having rule over us and to keep us from hidden sins and willful sins.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Listen To Be Wise And Pray To Succeed
"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is The Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:20-21 (NIV)
None of us knows everything. We can all learn something new. Our main problem is we don't want to listen, we want to talk. Our next problem is when we listen, we listen to the wrong people. Third, our problem is that what we hear, accept, and believe, we do not validate it with The Word of God.
We ought to acknowledge to rule of God in our lives. Since our knowledge is limited, we should go to God in prayer for direction, guidance, and assistance as we plan our activities. God sends people into our lives to be a blessing to us. Advice and instruction can come from many sources, make sure that it is heaven sent.
F. J. Dake says, "The heart of the natural man has many schemes, but only those plans that are worked in harmony with the will of God will stand." It is okay to plan, but make sure that God is included in the plans. According to John Mac Arthur, "Human responsibility is always subject to God's absolute sovereignty."
Listen, in order to be wise, and pray, in order to be successful.
None of us knows everything. We can all learn something new. Our main problem is we don't want to listen, we want to talk. Our next problem is when we listen, we listen to the wrong people. Third, our problem is that what we hear, accept, and believe, we do not validate it with The Word of God.
We ought to acknowledge to rule of God in our lives. Since our knowledge is limited, we should go to God in prayer for direction, guidance, and assistance as we plan our activities. God sends people into our lives to be a blessing to us. Advice and instruction can come from many sources, make sure that it is heaven sent.
F. J. Dake says, "The heart of the natural man has many schemes, but only those plans that are worked in harmony with the will of God will stand." It is okay to plan, but make sure that God is included in the plans. According to John Mac Arthur, "Human responsibility is always subject to God's absolute sovereignty."
Listen, in order to be wise, and pray, in order to be successful.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Let Your Light Shine # 2
"... Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. " Matthew 5:16 (NIV)
We are to live our lives in such a manner that others can see The Christ within us. Our good deeds are to be done for the benefit of others, to help, encourage, and enlighten them. We are to be living examples of good Christian behavior for others to see and imitate. And we are to do so, not for the personal praise from men, but for the glory of God.
Before we speak or act, we should ask ourselves, "What would Jesus say or do in this situation?" Let us examine the motives for our words and actions. Let us stop living for personal attention, glory, gain, and gratification. We each should pray and ask God, "What is His purpose for our life?", and then live for the glory of God.
We are to live our lives in such a manner that others can see The Christ within us. Our good deeds are to be done for the benefit of others, to help, encourage, and enlighten them. We are to be living examples of good Christian behavior for others to see and imitate. And we are to do so, not for the personal praise from men, but for the glory of God.
Before we speak or act, we should ask ourselves, "What would Jesus say or do in this situation?" Let us examine the motives for our words and actions. Let us stop living for personal attention, glory, gain, and gratification. We each should pray and ask God, "What is His purpose for our life?", and then live for the glory of God.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Pray For Guidance And Direction # 2
When you feel that you are doing your best and things seem to be going wrong or bad for you, keep the faith, and pray.
"So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul ... Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble ... for I am your servant." Psalms 143:4-12 (NIV)
In this Psalm, David is saying that he is doing his best to do the will of God but things are not going well with him. Because of this his spirit is failing him. His prayer is for God to show him the way he should go, to teach him, and to lead him.
We really do not pray enough. We should pray for God's guidance and direction before we say or do anything, even the little things. We get into trouble when we attempt to do something without praying first, because we think that we can handle it without God's help.
Don't be in such a hurry to do anything before you pray. Our lives would be much better if we would pray before we spoke or began to act.
"So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul ... Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble ... for I am your servant." Psalms 143:4-12 (NIV)
In this Psalm, David is saying that he is doing his best to do the will of God but things are not going well with him. Because of this his spirit is failing him. His prayer is for God to show him the way he should go, to teach him, and to lead him.
We really do not pray enough. We should pray for God's guidance and direction before we say or do anything, even the little things. We get into trouble when we attempt to do something without praying first, because we think that we can handle it without God's help.
Don't be in such a hurry to do anything before you pray. Our lives would be much better if we would pray before we spoke or began to act.
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