To Adam God said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life ... By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Genesis 3:17-19 (NIV)
After the original sin in the garden of Eden, man blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the serpent. God gave us free will and we did not choose wisely. For this reason we will suffer
hard times all the days of our lives. In sin we are conceived (Psalms 51:5), and we are servants to sin (Romans 6:6) until we give our lives to Christ. Every man born of a woman woman will live but a few days and those will be full of trouble (Job 14:1).
Things will not really get better for us until we change, humble ourselves, and pray, and turn from our wicked ways, and seek Him (2 Chronicles 7:14), then God will hear and answer our prayers.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Overflowing With Faith And Hope
"May The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of The Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 (NIV)
This is my prayer for you, and it may well be a good prayer for you to pray for your family, friends, and all who are suffering and worried. God is in control and He is the source of all hope. Every believer's hope comes by way of The Holy Spirit. Believers can be positive and overflow with hope by the grace of God, for hope is a gift from God.
No matter what the circumstance, believers can be at peace and count it all joy because their faith and hope is in God, and our God is bigger than our problems.
This is my prayer for you, and it may well be a good prayer for you to pray for your family, friends, and all who are suffering and worried. God is in control and He is the source of all hope. Every believer's hope comes by way of The Holy Spirit. Believers can be positive and overflow with hope by the grace of God, for hope is a gift from God.
No matter what the circumstance, believers can be at peace and count it all joy because their faith and hope is in God, and our God is bigger than our problems.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Want A Spirit Filled Life?
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right ..." Romans 12:9-17 (NIV)
The above passage lists the traits and characteristics of a Spirit filled life. It describes our personal duties and it tells us how we should treat others. To practice good Christian behavior, these things should be on our daily "to do lists". Doing one good deed each day is good, but living a Spirit filled life all day every day would be much better. Attempt to live in such a way that God gets the glory from our life daily.
The above passage lists the traits and characteristics of a Spirit filled life. It describes our personal duties and it tells us how we should treat others. To practice good Christian behavior, these things should be on our daily "to do lists". Doing one good deed each day is good, but living a Spirit filled life all day every day would be much better. Attempt to live in such a way that God gets the glory from our life daily.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The Breath Of Life
"The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Genesis 2:7 (NIV) God gave us our most precious gift, the breath of life. One day we will have to give it back to Him. The dust of the earth and the minerals that make up our physical bodies will one day return to the dust of the earth.
We should live our lives, our temporary existence here on earth as living souls, as if we value and appreciate God for giving us this opportunity to exist. We should thank God for all that we have and for every blessing that we have received, and live like we are grateful to Him for being alive. Our spiritual soul will live forever, but not our physical bodies. Just how and where our soul will spend eternity will depend upon our relationship with Jesus The Christ. The choice is ours, choose wisely.
We should live our lives, our temporary existence here on earth as living souls, as if we value and appreciate God for giving us this opportunity to exist. We should thank God for all that we have and for every blessing that we have received, and live like we are grateful to Him for being alive. Our spiritual soul will live forever, but not our physical bodies. Just how and where our soul will spend eternity will depend upon our relationship with Jesus The Christ. The choice is ours, choose wisely.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Made In The Image And Likeness Of God
"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule ... So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them." Genesis 1:26-27 (NIV)
In the beginning, when God said, "Let Us ...", God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit, "...make man in Our image, in Our likeness ...", that was what They did. They created the first man and woman in Their image and likeness. Therefore we, as descendants of that first man and woman, are also made in Their image and likeness.
Since every man and woman was made in the image and likeness of God, as different as we each are physically, we should be very careful when we comment on the physical appearance of an individual. We do not know what God looks like and we would not want to make a negative statement about a the appearance of a person who may look more like God than we do.
Don't talk negatively about God or His workmanship that was made in His image and likeness.
In the beginning, when God said, "Let Us ...", God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit, "...make man in Our image, in Our likeness ...", that was what They did. They created the first man and woman in Their image and likeness. Therefore we, as descendants of that first man and woman, are also made in Their image and likeness.
Since every man and woman was made in the image and likeness of God, as different as we each are physically, we should be very careful when we comment on the physical appearance of an individual. We do not know what God looks like and we would not want to make a negative statement about a the appearance of a person who may look more like God than we do.
Don't talk negatively about God or His workmanship that was made in His image and likeness.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Therefore I Have Hope
"I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassion's never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." Lamentation 3:19-26 (NIV)
When we think of all that we have been through, all that He has brought us through, it becomes much easier to keep our faith and hope in God alive and strong. Thanks to God's goodness, His grace and mercy, and His love for us, He forgives us and continues to bless us in spite of how we think and act, and how we treat Him. Great is His faithfulness! "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness..."
When we think of all that we have been through, all that He has brought us through, it becomes much easier to keep our faith and hope in God alive and strong. Thanks to God's goodness, His grace and mercy, and His love for us, He forgives us and continues to bless us in spite of how we think and act, and how we treat Him. Great is His faithfulness! "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness..."
Sunday, January 15, 2012
God Has Plans For You To Prosper In The Future
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares The Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)
This is from the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
The same can be applied to us today. God knows all and He knows what plans He has for each of us. He knows why we are going through the storms in our lives. His plans are for us to prosper and to have a better future. So, keep the faith, keep your hope in The Lord, things will get better and "you will understand it better by and by".
This is from the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
The same can be applied to us today. God knows all and He knows what plans He has for each of us. He knows why we are going through the storms in our lives. His plans are for us to prosper and to have a better future. So, keep the faith, keep your hope in The Lord, things will get better and "you will understand it better by and by".
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