Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Saturday September 25, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Micah. If you would like to read today's chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-25
Today's Message: God's Trust
This past week we had an Old Paths conference at my church, it is designed to revive the Christian and get their hearts back on our ultimate authority, the Bible. The Bible is God's Word and none of it should be disregarded, yes, time changes, but the Word of God never changes, it was, is, and will always be the same. Now, there will be people who try to rewrite His Word or write books to explain it more clearly, but regardless of what they do, the Word of God never changes, it was, is, and will always be the same. Did you know that the Bible is designed so that a twelve year old can understand it? So, there are no excuses as to why an adult can not understand the Bible. Well, there is one reason why a person can not understand the Bible, that reason is, the person is not saved or has not received Jesus Christ as their Savior.
That's right, God only reveals His truths to those who are saved. Jesus said, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” - Luke 10:21-24. No matter how smart you think you are unless you are saved you will never understand the Bible. Think about it. Do you think that God is going to trust an unsaved person with His Word? Would a person trust a thief with his bank account? God despises those who destroy His Word, who claim to know Him and deceive His people and those who truly do want God in their lives, but are being deceived by false gods and religion. God has a warning for all those whom have been telling lies or half truths about Him.
The Book of Micah is the thirty-third book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains seven chapters. The author of the book is Micah and it was written to the people of Judah and Israel. The purpose of the book is a call to repentance to avoid judgment, what we are to learn from the book is that God judges the oppressors of His people, those who deceive others and distort His Word. Micah was raised up to support Isaiah, and to confirm his predictions, through God, he encourages the Northern Kingdom of Samaria and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (Jerusalem) to repent. “The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the LORD from his holy temple. For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth....For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.” -Micah 1:1-3,5-7. God is addressing everyone and warning them that He is going to come down to earth and destroy everything that causes His people to sin. The high places were where the Israelites were forbidden to set up altars, Jerusalem is actually on a hill and the reason it is referred to as a high place is because it was to be the only place to offer sacrifices and to worship Only God, but they were offering sacrifices and worshiping false gods there.
At the conference one of the preachers talked about how there may be some things that we are doing in life that could be hindering our communication or relationship with God to the point that He does not hear our prayers. Things like hidden sin, disloyalty, and indifference were mentioned, disloyalty is when we place other things like jobs, hobbies, and people before God. Now, there are times when a person can not get out of working on a day when they should be in church, but God knows the difference between someone who has a willing heart or has other things to do before they commit to God. Micah said, “Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom....Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me....I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.” - Micah 7:5,7,9. At times we all do things that hinder our relationship with God, is important that we, like Micah, look to the Lord and let Him guide us at all times. If we sin there is going to be some chastisement, but it is better to come forward instead of hiding it because the chastisement will be less severe that the suffering we have to deal with over the guilt.
700 years before Jesus was born, Micah was led to prophesy about Him, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.... And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth....And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.” - Micah 5:2,4,7-9. Micah revealed that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem and would one day be King of Israel and all His people, Jew and Gentile, and only His remnant would be able to be saved from the destruction that was about to take place. If you accepted that you are a sinner, that Jesus, the Son of God, born of a virgin, was sent here to save you, that He died, was buried, and three days later arose from the dead, and personally asked Jesus to come into your heart and save you, then you are apart of the remnant that will enjoy eternity with Jesus. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” - Romans 10:9. Praise God!
Trust in God's Word, if you are saved, He will reveal wonderful things to you through it. Everything that I quote from and write in these devotions comes from and can be backed up by the King James Bible, but do not completely put your trust in me because I am human and I will err from time to time. We all need to join in with the Apostle Paul when he said, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” Philippians 3:13-15. I know that I can not completely trust my own reasoning, but I can trust God's because He will always reveal the truth to those who are loyal to Him. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
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Saturday, September 25, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Bible Study: All Who Call 09.24.10
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Friday September 24, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jonah. If you would like to read today's chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-24
Today's Message: All Who Call
As Christians, we are commanded to love one another and at the same time we are also commanded to separate ourselves from those who live in the world. So, how do we love one another yet remain separated from the worldly people? Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” - Matthew 5:43-45. Jesus died for every one, that means regardless of who we are, every person has the right to know how He can save them. God does not want us to do the things that they do nor does He want us to blend in with them, but if we show love toward them too then they also have the opportunity to see how amazing Jesus is and that He can save them too. You know, we can get into the habit of judging people by their behavior, but the Bible says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” - Romans 3:23. We have all done things that God hates, but we can praise Him for His love for us and that He never gave up on us. Praise God!
The book of Jonah is the thirty-second book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains four chapters. The author of the book is Jonah and it was written to the nation of Nineveh. The purpose of the book was to to warn them of the consequences of their disobedience to God and to document for Israel and all nations that salvation was not for the Jews only. What we are to learn from the book is that salvation is not restricted by race, culture, or other barriers, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
As I said yesterday, as Christians, it is our duty to tell the Gospel to all who are not saved. When God calls upon us to do something for Him He means business and He will do whatever it takes to get us to obey His command. Jonah was a native of Galilee, God commanded him to go the Nineveh to warn them of their destruction if they did not repent and turn to Him. “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.” -Jonah 1:1,2. Jonah believed Nineveh was a threat to Israel and deserved to be destroyed so instead of doing what he was told, he ignored God's command and took off on a ship. “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.” - Jonah 1:3,4. Jonah thought that he could escape from the presence of God, he soon found out that no one can run from God. Is there a storm going on in your life? Maybe it is because you have been trying to run from God?
Did you know that when we are not doing what God commands everyone around us suffers as well? Jonah fell asleep on that ship thinking that he was leaving his troubles behind, the longer he laid there the worse the storm got. The other people on the ship were scared and trying to figure out what was going on, they finally approached Jonah. “Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.” - Jonah 1:8-12. Jonah was so selfish that he would rather be cast into the sea and let thousands of other people die instead of follow God's command. We may not like those who hurt us, but it is not our call to choose who will live or die. God hates the sin, not the sinner. We are commanded to give all the opportunity to get saved.
To make Jonah understand this, God did not let him die, but allowed him to be swallowed up by a big fish. For three days and nights, Jonah sat in the belly of a fish. “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.” - Jonah 2:1-4. After three days and nights of soul searching, a repentant Jonah was vomited onto dry land. He then became the greatest evangelist of his day, and saw the entire city of Nineveh repent of its wickedness. God could have chosen another prophet and let Jonah sink to the bottom of the sea, but God was merciful, demonstrating His love toward both the prophet and the repentant people in Nineveh. The willingness of God to forgive even the greatest of sinners who repent was made known when Nineveh's king and his people repented and were spared from the destruction prophesied by Jonah.
Incidentally, Jesus used this historical event as an illustration to tell of His death, burial, and resurrection. “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” - Matthew 12:40,41. When we are saved and get baptized we too illustrate the likeness of His death, burial, and resurrection. “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” - Romans 6:4-6.
Jonah's plan gave him an opportunity to escape, but favorable circumstances when ignoring the will of God never lead to a successful end for any one. We are more diligent in working toward our ruin than in seeking to do the will of God. However, Jonah soon discovered that ignoring the God is always expensive and eventually leads to suffering that could have been avoided. “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” - Jonah 2:9. Jonah discovered that God's love was not limited to Israel, but open to everyone. God will do whatever it takes to get us to follow His will. Remember, no matter who we are or where we have come from Jesus saves all who call upon Him, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:13. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have a great weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
Want To Receive These Devotions in Your Email?
Subscribe By Sending A Blank Email With the Subject Subscribe to: devotions@imfollowingjesus.com
Today is Friday September 24, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jonah. If you would like to read today's chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-24
Today's Message: All Who Call
As Christians, we are commanded to love one another and at the same time we are also commanded to separate ourselves from those who live in the world. So, how do we love one another yet remain separated from the worldly people? Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” - Matthew 5:43-45. Jesus died for every one, that means regardless of who we are, every person has the right to know how He can save them. God does not want us to do the things that they do nor does He want us to blend in with them, but if we show love toward them too then they also have the opportunity to see how amazing Jesus is and that He can save them too. You know, we can get into the habit of judging people by their behavior, but the Bible says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” - Romans 3:23. We have all done things that God hates, but we can praise Him for His love for us and that He never gave up on us. Praise God!
The book of Jonah is the thirty-second book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains four chapters. The author of the book is Jonah and it was written to the nation of Nineveh. The purpose of the book was to to warn them of the consequences of their disobedience to God and to document for Israel and all nations that salvation was not for the Jews only. What we are to learn from the book is that salvation is not restricted by race, culture, or other barriers, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
As I said yesterday, as Christians, it is our duty to tell the Gospel to all who are not saved. When God calls upon us to do something for Him He means business and He will do whatever it takes to get us to obey His command. Jonah was a native of Galilee, God commanded him to go the Nineveh to warn them of their destruction if they did not repent and turn to Him. “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.” -Jonah 1:1,2. Jonah believed Nineveh was a threat to Israel and deserved to be destroyed so instead of doing what he was told, he ignored God's command and took off on a ship. “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.” - Jonah 1:3,4. Jonah thought that he could escape from the presence of God, he soon found out that no one can run from God. Is there a storm going on in your life? Maybe it is because you have been trying to run from God?
Did you know that when we are not doing what God commands everyone around us suffers as well? Jonah fell asleep on that ship thinking that he was leaving his troubles behind, the longer he laid there the worse the storm got. The other people on the ship were scared and trying to figure out what was going on, they finally approached Jonah. “Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.” - Jonah 1:8-12. Jonah was so selfish that he would rather be cast into the sea and let thousands of other people die instead of follow God's command. We may not like those who hurt us, but it is not our call to choose who will live or die. God hates the sin, not the sinner. We are commanded to give all the opportunity to get saved.
To make Jonah understand this, God did not let him die, but allowed him to be swallowed up by a big fish. For three days and nights, Jonah sat in the belly of a fish. “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.” - Jonah 2:1-4. After three days and nights of soul searching, a repentant Jonah was vomited onto dry land. He then became the greatest evangelist of his day, and saw the entire city of Nineveh repent of its wickedness. God could have chosen another prophet and let Jonah sink to the bottom of the sea, but God was merciful, demonstrating His love toward both the prophet and the repentant people in Nineveh. The willingness of God to forgive even the greatest of sinners who repent was made known when Nineveh's king and his people repented and were spared from the destruction prophesied by Jonah.
Incidentally, Jesus used this historical event as an illustration to tell of His death, burial, and resurrection. “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” - Matthew 12:40,41. When we are saved and get baptized we too illustrate the likeness of His death, burial, and resurrection. “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” - Romans 6:4-6.
Jonah's plan gave him an opportunity to escape, but favorable circumstances when ignoring the will of God never lead to a successful end for any one. We are more diligent in working toward our ruin than in seeking to do the will of God. However, Jonah soon discovered that ignoring the God is always expensive and eventually leads to suffering that could have been avoided. “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” - Jonah 2:9. Jonah discovered that God's love was not limited to Israel, but open to everyone. God will do whatever it takes to get us to follow His will. Remember, no matter who we are or where we have come from Jesus saves all who call upon Him, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:13. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have a great weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
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Subscribe By Sending A Blank Email With the Subject Subscribe to: devotions@imfollowingjesus.com
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Bible Study: Spiritual CPR 09.23.10
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Thursday September 23, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Amos and Obadiah. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-23
Today's Message: Spiritual CPR
Years ago I got certified in CPR and first aid training, that certification meant that I was qualified to administer CPR or first aid to anyone who may be in need of it. CPR is an acronym for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, it is a life saving procedure used to revive someone who has stopped breathing or whose heart has stopped working. Once I got that certification I had to carry a card around with me at all times showing that I was qualified to save a life. If I saw someone hurt and no one else was around it was my duty to assist them until more advance medical assistance arrived. You know, if I ever passed someone up that needed medical attention and they died I could have been held responsible for their death because I had the ability to save them and did not fulfill my duty.
True Christians, those whom have accepted the Gospel of Christ and called on Him to save them, are qualified to administer spiritual CPR to those who are dying spiritually. That means that we are to carry around our certification at all times and administer spiritual CPR to anyone who may be in need of it, it is our duty. Jesus commands all that are saved to, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” - Matthew 28:19,20. Jesus will return one day and when He does we are all going to have to answer to Him as to why we had the opportunity to save a life and did not do it. In fact, we will not even have to wait until Judgment Day, if someone dies and we have not given them the opportunity to get saved the guilt of it alone will haunt us until we die.
Many people claim to call themselves Christians, yet are far from being close to one, oh, they got saved, but that is about it. They have no regard for what Jesus has done for them or God's Word, continue living in sin, and try to conform to the world instead of Christ. Through Amos, God addresses those whom are His people, yet disregard Him. “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;...The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.” - Amos 6:1-3,8. God is talking to those who have been enjoying the finest pleasures of life, yet have not given one word of thanks or worship to Him. They have the mentality to think that they can hide their sins, create music that elevates themselves to think that they are as important as David was to God, and get away with serving Him because they are His people. It is no wonder why people of the world do not think it is necessary to know Christ? They do not see a change from the world.
God is amazing, you know, He does not force anyone to come to Him, He really does not judge those who refuse to accept His Son, in fact, Jesus said, “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” - John 12:47. God only saves those whom want to be saved, but if you get saved and do not follow through with your part of the agreement do not expect God's blessings. And if you think God is blessing you with material things, think again. You will be judged too, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” - John 12:48.
In vision, Amos saw God standing upon the idolatrous altar at Bethel and people fleeing to escape the destruction that was taking place, “I saw the LORD standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered…Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD. For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.” - Amos 9:1,8,9. Wherever sinners flee from God's judgment, it will overtake them, there is no escape. Just as corn is shaken in a sieve and some are left behind, He will save some from among them. Those whom God brings to heaven by His grace, shall never be cast down, but those whom think they can reach heaven by vain confidence in themselves, will be cast down and filled with shame. God will set His eyes upon them for evil, not for good.
The Book of Obadiah is the thirty-first book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains one chapter. The author of the book is Obadiah and it was written to the people of Edom, descendents of Esau, Jacob's brother. The purpose of the book was to warn them of God's punishment for being a sinful nation and against His people. What we are to learn from the book is that God brings down all whom have been sinfully exalted. “Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity; Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress. For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.” - Obadiah 13-15. The message of Obadiah also gives a sense of assurance, encouragement, and hope to the people of God. Even when faced with overwhelming odds, the justice of God and the assurance of His faithfulness gives us courage that the principles of right and wrong never fail.
As Christians it is our duty to show the world that living life with Christ is rewarding and life saving, we must do our part in giving spiritual CPR to all who need it. You know, at times, even when giving CPR, a life is lost, but it is important to realize that you did the best you could to save a life, the same is true with spiritual CPR, not everyone will get saved, but you did what you could and that means a lot to God. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” - I John 5:10-15. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
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Today is Thursday September 23, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Amos and Obadiah. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-23
Today's Message: Spiritual CPR
Years ago I got certified in CPR and first aid training, that certification meant that I was qualified to administer CPR or first aid to anyone who may be in need of it. CPR is an acronym for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, it is a life saving procedure used to revive someone who has stopped breathing or whose heart has stopped working. Once I got that certification I had to carry a card around with me at all times showing that I was qualified to save a life. If I saw someone hurt and no one else was around it was my duty to assist them until more advance medical assistance arrived. You know, if I ever passed someone up that needed medical attention and they died I could have been held responsible for their death because I had the ability to save them and did not fulfill my duty.
True Christians, those whom have accepted the Gospel of Christ and called on Him to save them, are qualified to administer spiritual CPR to those who are dying spiritually. That means that we are to carry around our certification at all times and administer spiritual CPR to anyone who may be in need of it, it is our duty. Jesus commands all that are saved to, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” - Matthew 28:19,20. Jesus will return one day and when He does we are all going to have to answer to Him as to why we had the opportunity to save a life and did not do it. In fact, we will not even have to wait until Judgment Day, if someone dies and we have not given them the opportunity to get saved the guilt of it alone will haunt us until we die.
Many people claim to call themselves Christians, yet are far from being close to one, oh, they got saved, but that is about it. They have no regard for what Jesus has done for them or God's Word, continue living in sin, and try to conform to the world instead of Christ. Through Amos, God addresses those whom are His people, yet disregard Him. “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;...The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.” - Amos 6:1-3,8. God is talking to those who have been enjoying the finest pleasures of life, yet have not given one word of thanks or worship to Him. They have the mentality to think that they can hide their sins, create music that elevates themselves to think that they are as important as David was to God, and get away with serving Him because they are His people. It is no wonder why people of the world do not think it is necessary to know Christ? They do not see a change from the world.
God is amazing, you know, He does not force anyone to come to Him, He really does not judge those who refuse to accept His Son, in fact, Jesus said, “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” - John 12:47. God only saves those whom want to be saved, but if you get saved and do not follow through with your part of the agreement do not expect God's blessings. And if you think God is blessing you with material things, think again. You will be judged too, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” - John 12:48.
In vision, Amos saw God standing upon the idolatrous altar at Bethel and people fleeing to escape the destruction that was taking place, “I saw the LORD standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered…Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD. For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.” - Amos 9:1,8,9. Wherever sinners flee from God's judgment, it will overtake them, there is no escape. Just as corn is shaken in a sieve and some are left behind, He will save some from among them. Those whom God brings to heaven by His grace, shall never be cast down, but those whom think they can reach heaven by vain confidence in themselves, will be cast down and filled with shame. God will set His eyes upon them for evil, not for good.
The Book of Obadiah is the thirty-first book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains one chapter. The author of the book is Obadiah and it was written to the people of Edom, descendents of Esau, Jacob's brother. The purpose of the book was to warn them of God's punishment for being a sinful nation and against His people. What we are to learn from the book is that God brings down all whom have been sinfully exalted. “Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity; Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress. For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.” - Obadiah 13-15. The message of Obadiah also gives a sense of assurance, encouragement, and hope to the people of God. Even when faced with overwhelming odds, the justice of God and the assurance of His faithfulness gives us courage that the principles of right and wrong never fail.
As Christians it is our duty to show the world that living life with Christ is rewarding and life saving, we must do our part in giving spiritual CPR to all who need it. You know, at times, even when giving CPR, a life is lost, but it is important to realize that you did the best you could to save a life, the same is true with spiritual CPR, not everyone will get saved, but you did what you could and that means a lot to God. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” - I John 5:10-15. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
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Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Bible Study: Whatever It Takes 09.22.10
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Wednesday September 22, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Amos, chapters 1-5. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-22
Today's Message: Whatever It Takes
Everything that God places before us in life is used to teach, inspire, encourage, and correct us, sometimes He has to use some unusual circumstances or harsh judgment to get us to listen, but He will do what ever it takes to get us to understand that we need Him. Do you know what the problem with every person who rejects God is? The Bible says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;...But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their's also was.” -II Timothy 3:1-4,9. People who reject God think they do not need God, they have it in their minds that they can do whatever they want, no matter the cost, to get what they think they need. In the end they are the ones who are going to suffer.
The book of Amos is the Thirtieth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains nine chapters. The author of the book is Amos and it was written to the people Israel. The purpose of the book was to call Israel back to God. What we are to learn from the book is that God calls all nations to prepare for the day they will meet the One and Only God of all creation. Israel was a chosen nation, an elect people. God had delivered them out of Egypt and miraculously helped them conquer the promised land, but Israel continuously rejected His commands. God sent Amos to warn the Israelites that judgment was while Israel was still prosperous. “The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.” -Amos 1:1-4. First, Amos warns the surrounding nations, one by one, nation upon nation is mention and the judgment that they were facing for mocking and persecuting God's people. God is so gracious that He will not force anyone to live for Him, but He will not stand for anyone who even touches one hair on the head of His people. “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish.” -Luke 21:17,18.
Now, God sends Amos to the Northern Kingdom to deliver his prophecy of impending judgment in city of Bethel, the site of one of Israel's two false worship centers and one of several residences of King Jeroboam II (See II Kings 14:16-29). “Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities....Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord GOD, the God of hosts, That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground. And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD.” - Amos 3:1,2,13-15. The Israelites were warned will in advance of the coming judgment of God and because of their sins and ignorance destruction was inevitable. Being ignorant and not knowing God are two different things, those whom do not know who God is can not help themselves, for they know not what they are doing. However, those who know who God is and deliberately ignore Him know what they are doing and are completely ignoring Him or trying to fit Him in their world when they feel like it, that is when God gets angry and causes judgment upon His people.
God does not want to place judgment upon any of His people, He really and truly does not want to see any of His people suffer, but those who continuously live in sin and ignore His warnings will face judgment. “The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD....For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name. ” - Amos 4:2,3,8-10,13. As the Israelites persisted in rebellion and idolatry, God was coming against them as an adversary. The more they resisted, the more destruction He allowed. We are all prone to desire material things and prosperity, but nothing takes the place of God, whether we choose to acknowledge that God is always in control or not we will all realize one day that nothing takes the place of God.
God will do whatever it takes to get His people to return to Him, one day we will all face judgment, so, it is important that we use our time here on earth wisely. He does not want to hurt us, He wants us to be the best we can be. The only way we can do that is to get in God's Word, allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, start serving God the way He intended for us to serve Him, and keep warning those who do not know Jesus that they need Him. The Bible says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” -II Timothy 3:16,17. God's Word teaches us, inspires us, corrects us, and most of all allows us to have a good relationship with Him. The more we read it, the more we learn, the more we understand that we need God. Life is hard, but we do not have to face it alone, let God guide you and He will give you peace, comfort, and all that you will ever need. “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” - Psalm 37:4
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
Want To Receive These Devotions in Your Email?
Subscribe By Sending A Blank Email With the Subject Subscribe to: devotions@imfollowingjesus.com
Today is Wednesday September 22, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Amos, chapters 1-5. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-22
Today's Message: Whatever It Takes
Everything that God places before us in life is used to teach, inspire, encourage, and correct us, sometimes He has to use some unusual circumstances or harsh judgment to get us to listen, but He will do what ever it takes to get us to understand that we need Him. Do you know what the problem with every person who rejects God is? The Bible says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;...But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their's also was.” -II Timothy 3:1-4,9. People who reject God think they do not need God, they have it in their minds that they can do whatever they want, no matter the cost, to get what they think they need. In the end they are the ones who are going to suffer.
The book of Amos is the Thirtieth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains nine chapters. The author of the book is Amos and it was written to the people Israel. The purpose of the book was to call Israel back to God. What we are to learn from the book is that God calls all nations to prepare for the day they will meet the One and Only God of all creation. Israel was a chosen nation, an elect people. God had delivered them out of Egypt and miraculously helped them conquer the promised land, but Israel continuously rejected His commands. God sent Amos to warn the Israelites that judgment was while Israel was still prosperous. “The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.” -Amos 1:1-4. First, Amos warns the surrounding nations, one by one, nation upon nation is mention and the judgment that they were facing for mocking and persecuting God's people. God is so gracious that He will not force anyone to live for Him, but He will not stand for anyone who even touches one hair on the head of His people. “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish.” -Luke 21:17,18.
Now, God sends Amos to the Northern Kingdom to deliver his prophecy of impending judgment in city of Bethel, the site of one of Israel's two false worship centers and one of several residences of King Jeroboam II (See II Kings 14:16-29). “Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities....Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord GOD, the God of hosts, That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground. And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD.” - Amos 3:1,2,13-15. The Israelites were warned will in advance of the coming judgment of God and because of their sins and ignorance destruction was inevitable. Being ignorant and not knowing God are two different things, those whom do not know who God is can not help themselves, for they know not what they are doing. However, those who know who God is and deliberately ignore Him know what they are doing and are completely ignoring Him or trying to fit Him in their world when they feel like it, that is when God gets angry and causes judgment upon His people.
God does not want to place judgment upon any of His people, He really and truly does not want to see any of His people suffer, but those who continuously live in sin and ignore His warnings will face judgment. “The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD....For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name. ” - Amos 4:2,3,8-10,13. As the Israelites persisted in rebellion and idolatry, God was coming against them as an adversary. The more they resisted, the more destruction He allowed. We are all prone to desire material things and prosperity, but nothing takes the place of God, whether we choose to acknowledge that God is always in control or not we will all realize one day that nothing takes the place of God.
God will do whatever it takes to get His people to return to Him, one day we will all face judgment, so, it is important that we use our time here on earth wisely. He does not want to hurt us, He wants us to be the best we can be. The only way we can do that is to get in God's Word, allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, start serving God the way He intended for us to serve Him, and keep warning those who do not know Jesus that they need Him. The Bible says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” -II Timothy 3:16,17. God's Word teaches us, inspires us, corrects us, and most of all allows us to have a good relationship with Him. The more we read it, the more we learn, the more we understand that we need God. Life is hard, but we do not have to face it alone, let God guide you and He will give you peace, comfort, and all that you will ever need. “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” - Psalm 37:4
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
Want To Receive These Devotions in Your Email?
Subscribe By Sending A Blank Email With the Subject Subscribe to: devotions@imfollowingjesus.com
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Bible Study: God's Grace is Enough
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Tuesday September 21, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Joel. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-21
Today's Message: God's Grace is Enough
You know how hard life can be, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing something that looked impossible become possible. As Christians, we can become so guilt stricken over things from the past that we can literally feel like there is no possible way God will ever forgive me for what I have done. The truth is this, God's grace is enough and all we need, oh, we might have to face some consequences for sin, but once we repent, it's over and done with. God has Alzheimer when it comes to our confessing sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” -I John 1:9. Since God can not lie, praise God for that!
The Book of Joel is the twenty-ninth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains three chapters. The author of the book is Joel and it was written to the people in Judah. The purpose of the book was to warn Judah of their sin and need for repentance and to inform them of God's future restoration plans for the nation. What we are to learn from the book is that even in the midst of corrective judgment, God plans future blessings for His people. “The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth....Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” -Joel 1:1-5, 14,15. God is reminding all church leaders and all His people that they were going to suffer the consequences of their sins, but it is time to listen to me, repent, and do not stop with yourselves, tell every generation it is time to get right with me.
Jesus will return and when He does there is no second chances, we must keep telling the lost the Gospel before it is too late. There is no purgatory, there is no soul sleeping, or whatever else these false religions are trying to deceive people with. There is only heaven and hell and when you die you go to one of these places. The only way to go to heaven is through your faith in Jesus Christ and asking Him to save you. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” -Titus 3:5-7. We Are Not Saved By Works, But By The Blood of Christ! Praise God! Like I said earlier, we may have to suffer the consequences of our sins, but it's not something we can avoid, so, if you sinned, and we all do, just deal with the punishment, seek forgiveness, and move forward. If you have ever gotten a good whupping by a parent, you know it hurts, but you learn or you should have learned not to do it again, then after the pain wears off and you seek forgiveness it's all over and done with forgotten about. God is the same way, He promises all of us that if you sin you will have to take the punishment, but you will learn from it and when you come to me and repent I will forgive you and bless you for your faithfulness.
God's grace is enough to repent and be blessed through it, God promised the Israelites that if they repent and return to Him He will take care of them and bless them even more. “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.” -Joel 2:23-27. God never stops providing His people with the things that they are in need of. He only stops if we stop trusting Him and continue to live in sin. God will restore everything He has taken away from us and then some, but all we need to do to receive those blessings is to repent. It's that simple.
God's grace is enough to save every person, but you must ask Him for it first. He promises that He will cleanse all who come to Him. “The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more....For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.” -Joel 3:16,17,21. Zion is the hill in Jerusalem, on which the Temple was built, God dwells there and it will be the final gathering place for all His people, whether Jew or Gentile none are strangers to God if they repented and asked Jesus to save them. “If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore. For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.” - Psalm 132:12-16. Today, God's covenant is trusting in and accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” - II Peter 3:9.
Okay, so you have been living in sin after you got saved and you do not know what to do. Repent, God's grace is enough to forgive you. You are still saved, nothing removes our salvation from us, Jesus died once on the cross so that means we only need to get saved once. However, you still need to repent for you current sin, God has more grace for you. “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” - James 4:6-10. God will lift us anyone who humbly come to Him. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
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Today is Tuesday September 21, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Joel. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-21
Today's Message: God's Grace is Enough
You know how hard life can be, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing something that looked impossible become possible. As Christians, we can become so guilt stricken over things from the past that we can literally feel like there is no possible way God will ever forgive me for what I have done. The truth is this, God's grace is enough and all we need, oh, we might have to face some consequences for sin, but once we repent, it's over and done with. God has Alzheimer when it comes to our confessing sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” -I John 1:9. Since God can not lie, praise God for that!
The Book of Joel is the twenty-ninth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains three chapters. The author of the book is Joel and it was written to the people in Judah. The purpose of the book was to warn Judah of their sin and need for repentance and to inform them of God's future restoration plans for the nation. What we are to learn from the book is that even in the midst of corrective judgment, God plans future blessings for His people. “The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth....Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” -Joel 1:1-5, 14,15. God is reminding all church leaders and all His people that they were going to suffer the consequences of their sins, but it is time to listen to me, repent, and do not stop with yourselves, tell every generation it is time to get right with me.
Jesus will return and when He does there is no second chances, we must keep telling the lost the Gospel before it is too late. There is no purgatory, there is no soul sleeping, or whatever else these false religions are trying to deceive people with. There is only heaven and hell and when you die you go to one of these places. The only way to go to heaven is through your faith in Jesus Christ and asking Him to save you. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” -Titus 3:5-7. We Are Not Saved By Works, But By The Blood of Christ! Praise God! Like I said earlier, we may have to suffer the consequences of our sins, but it's not something we can avoid, so, if you sinned, and we all do, just deal with the punishment, seek forgiveness, and move forward. If you have ever gotten a good whupping by a parent, you know it hurts, but you learn or you should have learned not to do it again, then after the pain wears off and you seek forgiveness it's all over and done with forgotten about. God is the same way, He promises all of us that if you sin you will have to take the punishment, but you will learn from it and when you come to me and repent I will forgive you and bless you for your faithfulness.
God's grace is enough to repent and be blessed through it, God promised the Israelites that if they repent and return to Him He will take care of them and bless them even more. “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.” -Joel 2:23-27. God never stops providing His people with the things that they are in need of. He only stops if we stop trusting Him and continue to live in sin. God will restore everything He has taken away from us and then some, but all we need to do to receive those blessings is to repent. It's that simple.
God's grace is enough to save every person, but you must ask Him for it first. He promises that He will cleanse all who come to Him. “The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more....For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.” -Joel 3:16,17,21. Zion is the hill in Jerusalem, on which the Temple was built, God dwells there and it will be the final gathering place for all His people, whether Jew or Gentile none are strangers to God if they repented and asked Jesus to save them. “If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore. For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.” - Psalm 132:12-16. Today, God's covenant is trusting in and accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” - II Peter 3:9.
Okay, so you have been living in sin after you got saved and you do not know what to do. Repent, God's grace is enough to forgive you. You are still saved, nothing removes our salvation from us, Jesus died once on the cross so that means we only need to get saved once. However, you still need to repent for you current sin, God has more grace for you. “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” - James 4:6-10. God will lift us anyone who humbly come to Him. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
Want To Receive These Devotions in Your Email?
Subscribe By Sending A Blank Email With the Subject Subscribe to: devotions@imfollowingjesus.com
Monday, September 20, 2010
Bible Study: The Right Ingredients
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Monday September 20, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Hosea, chapters 7-14. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-20
Today's Message: The Right Ingredients
Bread is made from flour, water, oil, salt, and a leavening agent, such as yeast. Five simple ingredients that are mixed together, kneaded, set aside to rise, then baked until golden brown. There is nothing more satisfying to the sense of smell than bread baking in the oven. However, the key to making good bread is in the leaven, if it has not been allowed enough time to rise it will end up coming out like a rock and even though it still smells good baking it is good for nothing except a hockey puck. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” - Matthew 13:33. The key to the Christian life is three ingredients, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. While only Jesus can save us, without God there is no Jesus and without Jesus there is no Holy Spirit, without all three we are not whole and complete. Amazingly these three ingredients make up One Great God and a wonderful spirit filled life.
The first ingredient we need is Jesus, He is the only way to get right with God, Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” - John 6:51. Jesus is the bread we need to give life to the spirit, without His bread our soul is has no life to it and is just as the bread that is not edible. Jesus was crucified and sacrificed His life (flesh) for every person God created and still creates. To eat of this spiritual bread one needs to accept that he is a sinner, believe in Jesus, and ask Him to save him. It's that simple, yet billions of people will never take of this bread. Why? They follow the wrong doctrine, they listen to what man is telling them and not God. The Bible says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” - Colossians 2:8-10. People make the mistake of listening to other people tell them who God is instead of seeking the truth. If a church does not enforce that Jesus, who is God in the flesh, is the only one who can save them by grace and not works, than it is false doctrine. This is not something that people were just made aware of over the past few centuries, this has always been. If we truly want to live a complete, God filled life we need Jesus first.
The second ingredient we need is God, once we get saved we are reconciled with God and a relationship with Him can begin. We need to follow Him completely in everything that we do, it is not going to be easy, but we need to learn to depend in Him. He is our provider and will always give us what we need, but if we continue to do things all on our own without God we will never be complete. Of course, we need to make an effort to do things, but we need to let go of our total dependence on people and the things that are around us because they do not last forever and can often make things worse. Israel had foolishly put its trust in the powerful nations of Egypt and Assyria for help. This led the Israelites into worshiping their idols and forsaking the One True God. God compared the Israelites to unleavened bread. “When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without. And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face. They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies. They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.” - Hosea 7:1-4. What God is telling them was that all they had to do was come to Him and He would have provided them everything they needed, but because they trusted in the heathens they too have become heathens and about as good as bread that has not been allowed to rise before it has been baked. There are many people who get saved, but they never go any further than that, they never allow God to come into their lives and because of that they never become complete or useful to God.
In order to show us that we need to be dependent only on Him, God is going to place chastisement and suffering in our lives. In the midst of their troubles as a nation, the Israelites never thought of seeking help solely from God, they put their trust in men promoting false gods instead of the One True God. However, God did not give up on them, through Hosea He said, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.” - Hosea 10:12,13. False religions destroy people and sadly, many are just too stubborn to realize that, however, if they would just seek God through Jesus Christ they would see that, only He is what completes is. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” - John 14:6.
The third ingredient we need is the Holy Spirit (Ghost), the Holy Spirit is the one who helps us understand God and His Word. Without the Holy Spirit, the Bible is just words in a book, but when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us (who can only come to us through Jesus) it is no longer just a book, but God's Word and something we need to hold on to and cherish. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.” - Romans 14:17,18.
If we truly want God's blessings and to be complete, we need have all the ingredients that make up one complete God and person in you. There are so many Christian's whom sincerely love God, yet are at a cross between doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord and putting their faith and trust in worldly family or friends in order to keep the peace or have some security in their lives. They are not allowing all the ingredients to come together to make them complete and whole. God will take care of us, we just need to call on Him, only He can give us spiritual victory over the problems we are facing. God willingly waits for everyone to return to Him, “O israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.... Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.” - Hosea 14:1-4,9. As we mix up all the ingredients we will walk with Christ and know that His ways are the right ways and when we do God will be pleased and we will be blessed abundantly. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have a great week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
Want To Receive These Devotions in Your Email?
Subscribe By Sending A Blank Email With the Subject Subscribe to: devotions@imfollowingjesus.com
Today is Monday September 20, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Hosea, chapters 7-14. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-20
Today's Message: The Right Ingredients
Bread is made from flour, water, oil, salt, and a leavening agent, such as yeast. Five simple ingredients that are mixed together, kneaded, set aside to rise, then baked until golden brown. There is nothing more satisfying to the sense of smell than bread baking in the oven. However, the key to making good bread is in the leaven, if it has not been allowed enough time to rise it will end up coming out like a rock and even though it still smells good baking it is good for nothing except a hockey puck. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” - Matthew 13:33. The key to the Christian life is three ingredients, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. While only Jesus can save us, without God there is no Jesus and without Jesus there is no Holy Spirit, without all three we are not whole and complete. Amazingly these three ingredients make up One Great God and a wonderful spirit filled life.
The first ingredient we need is Jesus, He is the only way to get right with God, Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” - John 6:51. Jesus is the bread we need to give life to the spirit, without His bread our soul is has no life to it and is just as the bread that is not edible. Jesus was crucified and sacrificed His life (flesh) for every person God created and still creates. To eat of this spiritual bread one needs to accept that he is a sinner, believe in Jesus, and ask Him to save him. It's that simple, yet billions of people will never take of this bread. Why? They follow the wrong doctrine, they listen to what man is telling them and not God. The Bible says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” - Colossians 2:8-10. People make the mistake of listening to other people tell them who God is instead of seeking the truth. If a church does not enforce that Jesus, who is God in the flesh, is the only one who can save them by grace and not works, than it is false doctrine. This is not something that people were just made aware of over the past few centuries, this has always been. If we truly want to live a complete, God filled life we need Jesus first.
The second ingredient we need is God, once we get saved we are reconciled with God and a relationship with Him can begin. We need to follow Him completely in everything that we do, it is not going to be easy, but we need to learn to depend in Him. He is our provider and will always give us what we need, but if we continue to do things all on our own without God we will never be complete. Of course, we need to make an effort to do things, but we need to let go of our total dependence on people and the things that are around us because they do not last forever and can often make things worse. Israel had foolishly put its trust in the powerful nations of Egypt and Assyria for help. This led the Israelites into worshiping their idols and forsaking the One True God. God compared the Israelites to unleavened bread. “When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without. And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face. They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies. They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.” - Hosea 7:1-4. What God is telling them was that all they had to do was come to Him and He would have provided them everything they needed, but because they trusted in the heathens they too have become heathens and about as good as bread that has not been allowed to rise before it has been baked. There are many people who get saved, but they never go any further than that, they never allow God to come into their lives and because of that they never become complete or useful to God.
In order to show us that we need to be dependent only on Him, God is going to place chastisement and suffering in our lives. In the midst of their troubles as a nation, the Israelites never thought of seeking help solely from God, they put their trust in men promoting false gods instead of the One True God. However, God did not give up on them, through Hosea He said, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.” - Hosea 10:12,13. False religions destroy people and sadly, many are just too stubborn to realize that, however, if they would just seek God through Jesus Christ they would see that, only He is what completes is. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” - John 14:6.
The third ingredient we need is the Holy Spirit (Ghost), the Holy Spirit is the one who helps us understand God and His Word. Without the Holy Spirit, the Bible is just words in a book, but when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us (who can only come to us through Jesus) it is no longer just a book, but God's Word and something we need to hold on to and cherish. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.” - Romans 14:17,18.
If we truly want God's blessings and to be complete, we need have all the ingredients that make up one complete God and person in you. There are so many Christian's whom sincerely love God, yet are at a cross between doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord and putting their faith and trust in worldly family or friends in order to keep the peace or have some security in their lives. They are not allowing all the ingredients to come together to make them complete and whole. God will take care of us, we just need to call on Him, only He can give us spiritual victory over the problems we are facing. God willingly waits for everyone to return to Him, “O israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.... Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.” - Hosea 14:1-4,9. As we mix up all the ingredients we will walk with Christ and know that His ways are the right ways and when we do God will be pleased and we will be blessed abundantly. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have a great week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
Want To Receive These Devotions in Your Email?
Subscribe By Sending A Blank Email With the Subject Subscribe to: devotions@imfollowingjesus.com
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Bible Study: Acknowledge Him In All Things
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Sunday September 19, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Hosea, chapters 1-6. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-19
Today's Message: Acknowledge Him In All Things
As Christians we are prone to thank God for seeing answered prayers or protecting us from some kind of tragedy that was avoided. However, we tend to forget that God gives us everything, blessings such as seeing, hearing, smelling, and talking are often disregarded. We have to be careful that we do not lose sight of all of God's blessings, what we think is just normal comes from God as well, and if we lose sight of the normal things we can lose sight of the amazing things and just forget God all together. The Bible says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” - Proverbs 3:6. While I do not think God gets angry if we do not always say “Thank you for blessing me with sight” every day, He does get angry when we do not acknowledge Him for the blessings He gives us or only acknowledges Him if we are in trouble. We can not serve God and live in the world, it is simply impossible, Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” - Matthew 6:24. Those who commit to live their lives for God, take His blessings for granted, and still live in sin are considered adulterers in the eyes of God.
The book of Hosea is the twenty-eighth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains fourteen chapters. The author of the book is Hosea and it was written to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The purpose of the book was to alert Israel to her sinful condition and bring her back to God. What we are to learn from the book is that, it is only from experience that we can learn of God's love, compassion, and grace for all who repent and turn to God.
Just because we accepted Christ as our Savior and are God's people it does not mean that we are exempt from the consequences of sin. It is one thing for example, to slip with the tongue and swear, you repent and God forgives you and forgets what you have done, but if you constantly do it with no regard of what you are doing and still want God's blessings that is when He gets angry and starts taking things away. The Israelites were the people God chose to set as an example for the rest of the world, His intention was to show all nations how blessed they can be by acknowledging and following God. However, from the time of the Exodus to their current state they did not always acknowledge God. The problem is, all it takes is for one person to stop acknowledging God and before you know it you have false religion and false gods everywhere and very few people acknowledging the One and Only Living God, which is where we are today. “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe....Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” - I Timothy 4:10,16. We are going to suffer from time to time, but as long as we trust God and acknowledge Him then we are not only blessed others become blessed as well.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel had no godly influence at all, out of the nineteen kings to reign not one of them attempted to lead the people to worship in Jerusalem as God had instructed. Hosea was a prophet who lived and prophesied just before the destruction of Israel in 722 BC. To illustrate and warn the people, He commanded Hosea to marry a prostitute, whom would become unfaithful to him. “The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD. So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel, in the valley of Jezreel. And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. ” - Hosea 1:2-6. Hosea represents God and his wife represents the unfaithful, idolatrous house of Israel. The word Jezreel means, God scatters, and is probably indicative of the fact that God was going to punish and scatter the nation for its sinfulness. After the Assyrians defeated the northern kingdom of Israel, those who were left scattered (See II Kings 18-19), still today, families are scattered all over the world because of this.
Although Hosea's wife was faithful for a time she left him for all the pleasures she thought other men could give her. Hosea was heartbroken, he had a legal right to have her stoned and put to death, but he still loved her and chose to redeem her. Hosea actually purchased his wife's debt and brought her back home, then she turned from her wicked ways. “Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” - Hosea 3:1-5. This is an exact mirror of Jesus Christ, because we are sinners we have a debt to pay and that debt is death. However, Jesus purchased that debt for us with His Blood and now we have been redeemed. Right now we can not see our king, but one day, sooner than we think, Jesus will return and every person who accepted Him will fear the Lord, and enjoy His physical presence and goodness.
Those that seek a relationship with God, must apply Christ to their lives, and become His willing people. Not only are we to fear the Lord and His greatness, but the Lord and His goodness, meaning not only His majesty, but His mercy. Though the first fear of God arise from a view of His holy majesty and righteous vengeance, yet the experience of mercy and grace through Jesus Christ, will lead the heart to reverence so kind and glorious a Friend and Father, and to fear offending him. God said, “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” - Hosea 5:15. God does not want us to suffer, He willingly and patiently waits for His people to return to Him. He even promises to return His blessings, but first they must acknowledge Him. “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” - I John 2:23-25. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and the Lord's day.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
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Today is Sunday September 19, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Hosea, chapters 1-6. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-19
Today's Message: Acknowledge Him In All Things
As Christians we are prone to thank God for seeing answered prayers or protecting us from some kind of tragedy that was avoided. However, we tend to forget that God gives us everything, blessings such as seeing, hearing, smelling, and talking are often disregarded. We have to be careful that we do not lose sight of all of God's blessings, what we think is just normal comes from God as well, and if we lose sight of the normal things we can lose sight of the amazing things and just forget God all together. The Bible says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” - Proverbs 3:6. While I do not think God gets angry if we do not always say “Thank you for blessing me with sight” every day, He does get angry when we do not acknowledge Him for the blessings He gives us or only acknowledges Him if we are in trouble. We can not serve God and live in the world, it is simply impossible, Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” - Matthew 6:24. Those who commit to live their lives for God, take His blessings for granted, and still live in sin are considered adulterers in the eyes of God.
The book of Hosea is the twenty-eighth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains fourteen chapters. The author of the book is Hosea and it was written to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The purpose of the book was to alert Israel to her sinful condition and bring her back to God. What we are to learn from the book is that, it is only from experience that we can learn of God's love, compassion, and grace for all who repent and turn to God.
Just because we accepted Christ as our Savior and are God's people it does not mean that we are exempt from the consequences of sin. It is one thing for example, to slip with the tongue and swear, you repent and God forgives you and forgets what you have done, but if you constantly do it with no regard of what you are doing and still want God's blessings that is when He gets angry and starts taking things away. The Israelites were the people God chose to set as an example for the rest of the world, His intention was to show all nations how blessed they can be by acknowledging and following God. However, from the time of the Exodus to their current state they did not always acknowledge God. The problem is, all it takes is for one person to stop acknowledging God and before you know it you have false religion and false gods everywhere and very few people acknowledging the One and Only Living God, which is where we are today. “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe....Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” - I Timothy 4:10,16. We are going to suffer from time to time, but as long as we trust God and acknowledge Him then we are not only blessed others become blessed as well.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel had no godly influence at all, out of the nineteen kings to reign not one of them attempted to lead the people to worship in Jerusalem as God had instructed. Hosea was a prophet who lived and prophesied just before the destruction of Israel in 722 BC. To illustrate and warn the people, He commanded Hosea to marry a prostitute, whom would become unfaithful to him. “The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD. So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel, in the valley of Jezreel. And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. ” - Hosea 1:2-6. Hosea represents God and his wife represents the unfaithful, idolatrous house of Israel. The word Jezreel means, God scatters, and is probably indicative of the fact that God was going to punish and scatter the nation for its sinfulness. After the Assyrians defeated the northern kingdom of Israel, those who were left scattered (See II Kings 18-19), still today, families are scattered all over the world because of this.
Although Hosea's wife was faithful for a time she left him for all the pleasures she thought other men could give her. Hosea was heartbroken, he had a legal right to have her stoned and put to death, but he still loved her and chose to redeem her. Hosea actually purchased his wife's debt and brought her back home, then she turned from her wicked ways. “Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” - Hosea 3:1-5. This is an exact mirror of Jesus Christ, because we are sinners we have a debt to pay and that debt is death. However, Jesus purchased that debt for us with His Blood and now we have been redeemed. Right now we can not see our king, but one day, sooner than we think, Jesus will return and every person who accepted Him will fear the Lord, and enjoy His physical presence and goodness.
Those that seek a relationship with God, must apply Christ to their lives, and become His willing people. Not only are we to fear the Lord and His greatness, but the Lord and His goodness, meaning not only His majesty, but His mercy. Though the first fear of God arise from a view of His holy majesty and righteous vengeance, yet the experience of mercy and grace through Jesus Christ, will lead the heart to reverence so kind and glorious a Friend and Father, and to fear offending him. God said, “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” - Hosea 5:15. God does not want us to suffer, He willingly and patiently waits for His people to return to Him. He even promises to return His blessings, but first they must acknowledge Him. “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” - I John 2:23-25. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and the Lord's day.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com
Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
Want To Receive These Devotions in Your Email?
Subscribe By Sending A Blank Email With the Subject Subscribe to: devotions@imfollowingjesus.com
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