King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Genuine Faith
Date: Saturday July 02, 2011
Chapters: Ecclesiastes 5-6, Proverb 2, Psalm 22
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-july-2
Details of Today's Chapters: Solomon's warnings against a vain religion, the vanity and vexation of wealth, and the vanity of worldly wealth as pertaining only to the body.
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?.. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” - Matthew 15:2,3,7-11.
The Christian life is not a label to put on, but a life to be put in, it's not a system of doctrine to be questioned, but a great principle to be lived out. Genuine faith in Christ overcomes all obstacles and draws us closer to God than we will ever be as we follow His commands, which can only be found in His Word. Defilement is to corrupt the whole body, it's not the food a person puts in their mouths that defiles a person it's what comes out of it that defiles them. What this means is that we speak what comes from the heart, if the heart is wicked, the words coming out of the mouth will be wicked too, defiling that person. There is no sin in word or deed, which was not first thought of in the heart.
Do you ever wonder why there are so many different religions out there for the same God? The truth is this this, Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” - Matthew 4:4. People do not want to live by every word proceeds out of the mouth of God, so they come up with their own version of His Word, hence the many versions of the Bible, to justify themselves as though they are following God. This is vain or worthless religion, which is what Jesus is referring to in the above passage. Solomon warns us about the very same thing hundreds of years before Jesus even came to earth.
“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.” - Ecclesiastes 5:1-7.
Amazingly, God gives us all the free will to choose which religion we want to follow, now, that does not mean that He approves, but He rather have you follow some other religion than say you are following Him and lie about it. You want to offend God? Do exactly what you know is wrong intentionally and you will offend Him, remember, God is a jealous God and does not take too kindly to people abusing His good graces. “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” - Revelation 3:15,16. God knows our hearts and whether or not we truly want Him in our lives or are just pretending to look good in front of others. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” - Jeremiah 17:9, 10.
God wants us to prosper, even give us riches, but many people deprive themselves of the good God might have given them by not consecrating God with what presently have. To concentrate means to give credit to God for what He has blessed us with. Solomon explains this further.
“Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.” - Ecclesiastes 5:18-20.
God gives us skills and talents to be used so we can live the best life we can possibly live here on earth, we do Him honor to acknowledge that every day because we are who we are today because of the person God created in us. The amazing thing is that the more we acknowledge Him in what He has done for us the more He blesses us. I am self employed and have recently been given a big job to complete from a large company, I have been praising God for this job since I was told about it three weeks ago. People have been asking me, “How did this company even find you?” My response, “It is all God.” Thanks to God I have work from this company for a long time and I can see all my hard work paying off as I concentrated God even when I had no work at all. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths...Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” - Proverbs 3:6,9,10.
Now, the problem with God's blessing us with riches is that it can take us away from Him, yes, He even uses financial blessings to test our faithfulness to Him. Once again, Solomon warns us about the deception and corruption of riches.
“There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease...For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit. That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he. Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better? For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?” - Ecclesiastes 6:1,2,8-12.
God gives a person all they need for outward enjoyment, yet leaves him to his own covetousness, which means, a strong desire of obtaining and possessing some supposed good in a wicked way. The truth is this, the more people have, the less they enjoy it, the more they want, it's a vicious cycle that leads to them loosing all they have if they are not careful. Those who have so much, yet do not know Christ, are always wanting more. Jesus Christ is the true Bread which satisfies and the Water of life which quenches the thirst of the soul, unless He is inside of us we will lose more than possessions, which we can not take with us and others will get when we die. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life...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 6:48,48,51.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Peace I Leave With You
King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Peace I Leave With You
Date: Friday July 01, 2011
Chapters: Ecclesiastes 3-4, Proverb 1, Psalm 21
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-july-1
Details of Today's Chapters: Solomon explains the seasons of all human affairs and the unchangeableness and unsearchableness of the divine counsels, and discontent and impatience because of the oppressions and iniquities of life.
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it...I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you...Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”- John 14:12-14,18-20,27.
Many of us go through life hanging on by a thread, day by day we do our thing in hopes of some kind of relief only to wake up the next day and be right where we started. There is relief, that relief comes from the Savior.
As Christians, we too can forget that Christ lives inside of us and while we can not avoid the circumstances that God places before us, we can find peace, comfort, and relief in our Lord Jesus Christ as those circumstances come to pass.
King Solomon learned one valuable lesson in his pursuit of happiness, without God there is truly no happiness. He came to the conclusion that we all should at one point realize as well, there is a season for everything in life.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;..What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.” - Ecclesiastes 3:1-4,9-12.
Life is just like the weather, it changes constantly, while we can not avoid change, we can keep going by faith, rejoicing in the gifts that God gives us through them. Everything we go through in life has a season, reason and a purpose for it. Sometimes, God wants to get us to increase our faith and trust in Him, to grow closer to Him, to find strength for the next season, or sometimes He puts us through things so we can be of comfort to others. While we may not understand at the time, God will reveal all to us when the time is right.
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.” - II Corinthians 1:3-6.
I remember when I was younger watching my mother struggle trying to raise 3 kids on her own and swore to myself that I was going to do whatever I could to take care of myself so I would not have to depend upon anyone. Let me tell you, that attitude ruined many relationships for me, including my relationship with God. While we do need knowledge and to make an effort to better ourselves, we must not lose our dependance on God, we need Him to get us through everything, even when things are going well. We also need to learn to depend on others once in a while, Solomon realized this and explains further.
“There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” - Ecclesiastes 4:8-12.
It is impossible for us to do everything ourselves, we need help and when no help is to be found in front of us the only one we can turn to is Jesus Christ. He is the one who will fight for us, He is the one who will give us warmth in the cold, He is the one who will pick us up when we fall, we are rewarded as we labor with Him.“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” - Colossians 3:23,24.
Solomon is a witness to the fact that no one can be satisfied with worldly pleasures for they become substitutes in our hearts for the One Person to whom we really need, Jesus Christ. Christians can get so caught up in the things of the world, and this is how many lose sight of Him, that we forget Jesus is with us. All of a sudden turmoil hits and they do not know how to handle it, the more they try to fix things on their own the worse it gets feeling as though they are hanging by that thread. However, Jesus is saying, “You wanted the world, you got it, I can help you, I can give you peace, but unless you come to me there is nothing I can do.”
“For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart...Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” - Hebrews 4:10-12,16. God's grace will give us all we need to find peace and comfort through our circumstances, we do not have to hang by a thread, just hold on to the hand of Christ that is right there with His grace to give rest to our mind, body, and soul.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Message Title: Peace I Leave With You
Date: Friday July 01, 2011
Chapters: Ecclesiastes 3-4, Proverb 1, Psalm 21
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-july-1
Details of Today's Chapters: Solomon explains the seasons of all human affairs and the unchangeableness and unsearchableness of the divine counsels, and discontent and impatience because of the oppressions and iniquities of life.
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it...I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you...Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”- John 14:12-14,18-20,27.
Many of us go through life hanging on by a thread, day by day we do our thing in hopes of some kind of relief only to wake up the next day and be right where we started. There is relief, that relief comes from the Savior.
As Christians, we too can forget that Christ lives inside of us and while we can not avoid the circumstances that God places before us, we can find peace, comfort, and relief in our Lord Jesus Christ as those circumstances come to pass.
King Solomon learned one valuable lesson in his pursuit of happiness, without God there is truly no happiness. He came to the conclusion that we all should at one point realize as well, there is a season for everything in life.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;..What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.” - Ecclesiastes 3:1-4,9-12.
Life is just like the weather, it changes constantly, while we can not avoid change, we can keep going by faith, rejoicing in the gifts that God gives us through them. Everything we go through in life has a season, reason and a purpose for it. Sometimes, God wants to get us to increase our faith and trust in Him, to grow closer to Him, to find strength for the next season, or sometimes He puts us through things so we can be of comfort to others. While we may not understand at the time, God will reveal all to us when the time is right.
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.” - II Corinthians 1:3-6.
I remember when I was younger watching my mother struggle trying to raise 3 kids on her own and swore to myself that I was going to do whatever I could to take care of myself so I would not have to depend upon anyone. Let me tell you, that attitude ruined many relationships for me, including my relationship with God. While we do need knowledge and to make an effort to better ourselves, we must not lose our dependance on God, we need Him to get us through everything, even when things are going well. We also need to learn to depend on others once in a while, Solomon realized this and explains further.
“There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” - Ecclesiastes 4:8-12.
It is impossible for us to do everything ourselves, we need help and when no help is to be found in front of us the only one we can turn to is Jesus Christ. He is the one who will fight for us, He is the one who will give us warmth in the cold, He is the one who will pick us up when we fall, we are rewarded as we labor with Him.“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” - Colossians 3:23,24.
Solomon is a witness to the fact that no one can be satisfied with worldly pleasures for they become substitutes in our hearts for the One Person to whom we really need, Jesus Christ. Christians can get so caught up in the things of the world, and this is how many lose sight of Him, that we forget Jesus is with us. All of a sudden turmoil hits and they do not know how to handle it, the more they try to fix things on their own the worse it gets feeling as though they are hanging by that thread. However, Jesus is saying, “You wanted the world, you got it, I can help you, I can give you peace, but unless you come to me there is nothing I can do.”
“For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart...Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” - Hebrews 4:10-12,16. God's grace will give us all we need to find peace and comfort through our circumstances, we do not have to hang by a thread, just hold on to the hand of Christ that is right there with His grace to give rest to our mind, body, and soul.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Thursday, June 30, 2011
Exhausted And Unsatisfied
King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Exhausted And Unsatisfied
Date: Thursday June 30, 2011
Chapters: Ecclesiastes 1-2, Proverbs 30, Psalm 20
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-june-30
Details of Today's Chapters: King Solomon speaks about the doctrine of the vanity of the creature, and the impossibility of finding satisfaction without God, Solomon shows that there is no true happiness and satisfaction to be had in pleasure and the delights of the senses.
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,.. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” - Hebrews 6:1,10-12.
Have you ever worked so hard on something only to find out that it was wrong? If you are like me you feel lifeless, you are exhausted and unsatisfied, like you wasted the whole day and got nothing done. That is the feeling a person gets from dead works. What are dead works? Well, the word dead is defined as deprived or destitute of life. The word work means to be occupied in performing manual labor. So, dead works is being occupied performing manual labor that has no life to it. In other words, you were laboring for something that has no merit or life to it. Now, we all have days where we labor with no merit (hobbies, past times, etc) and it's okay once in a while, but we need to be careful not to get too comfortable in dead works, otherwise we will go through life exhausted and unsatisfied.
The Book of Ecclesiastes is the twenty-first book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains twelve chapters. The time line was approximately 977 BC. The author of the book is King Solomon and it was first written to the Israelites, but it is for all believers in general. The purpose of the book was to provide a description of the quest for life apart from God and to prove that Life apart from God, no matter how much one has, is vanity (worthless) and vexation (distressing) of the spirit. “For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.” - Ecclesiastes 2:26.
King Solomon was brought up by King David, a man known as the apple of God's eye. Solomon was taight by David to love the Lord His God, with all his heart, mind, and soul. Solomon became a Preacher, had the Temple of God built, and was known as the wisest and richest man on earth, he even recited the longest prayer after the Temple was built (I Kings 8:22-61). However, once he got a taste of the world it was over, one thing led to another, which got him so far away from God that he did not even know him anymore. Solomon learned one valuable lesson, without God we are never satisfied.
“I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” - Ecclesiastes 1:12-18.
Solomon admits that everything he labored for was to please his flesh, it was all worthless and was troubling to his spirit because God's will was not in it. The flesh is never satisfied, once it gets what it wants it quickly desires something else. Sadly, many today are still trying to gain fulfillment with worldly pursuits while ignoring the will of God, they are exhausted and unsatisfied, always looking for that one thing that will make them feel alive. The truth is, unless we make Christ our pursuit our labor will always be worthless and troubling to our spirit. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.” - Philippians 1:21,22.
When Solomon found out that knowledge did not give him satisfaction he turned to possessions, Solomon, whatever he desired he got it or made it, this also he found out to be exhausting and unsatisfying.
“I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:.. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” - Ecclesiastes 2:1-5,9-11.
True and lasting happiness and satisfaction consist not in mirth (social merriment), the gratifying of the appetite, the spending of money, or the getting of wisdom. Only he who sets God always before him and employs himself for God may find merriment and pleasure. Now, this does not mean that God has called everyone to work in the ministry, but it does mean that whatever job God calls you for, do it in a godly way. “He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” - Psalm 147:10,11.
Do not run yourself ragged with dead works, all it does is exhaust you and keep you unsatisfied. Do everything as if you are standing before God as He gives you your work schedule. God only rewards us for our labor when we look to Him and bring Him to work with us. Honestly, we get in less trouble when we take God to work with us too. “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.” - I Corinthians 3:8,9.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Message Title: Exhausted And Unsatisfied
Date: Thursday June 30, 2011
Chapters: Ecclesiastes 1-2, Proverbs 30, Psalm 20
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-june-30
Details of Today's Chapters: King Solomon speaks about the doctrine of the vanity of the creature, and the impossibility of finding satisfaction without God, Solomon shows that there is no true happiness and satisfaction to be had in pleasure and the delights of the senses.
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,.. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” - Hebrews 6:1,10-12.
Have you ever worked so hard on something only to find out that it was wrong? If you are like me you feel lifeless, you are exhausted and unsatisfied, like you wasted the whole day and got nothing done. That is the feeling a person gets from dead works. What are dead works? Well, the word dead is defined as deprived or destitute of life. The word work means to be occupied in performing manual labor. So, dead works is being occupied performing manual labor that has no life to it. In other words, you were laboring for something that has no merit or life to it. Now, we all have days where we labor with no merit (hobbies, past times, etc) and it's okay once in a while, but we need to be careful not to get too comfortable in dead works, otherwise we will go through life exhausted and unsatisfied.
The Book of Ecclesiastes is the twenty-first book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains twelve chapters. The time line was approximately 977 BC. The author of the book is King Solomon and it was first written to the Israelites, but it is for all believers in general. The purpose of the book was to provide a description of the quest for life apart from God and to prove that Life apart from God, no matter how much one has, is vanity (worthless) and vexation (distressing) of the spirit. “For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.” - Ecclesiastes 2:26.
King Solomon was brought up by King David, a man known as the apple of God's eye. Solomon was taight by David to love the Lord His God, with all his heart, mind, and soul. Solomon became a Preacher, had the Temple of God built, and was known as the wisest and richest man on earth, he even recited the longest prayer after the Temple was built (I Kings 8:22-61). However, once he got a taste of the world it was over, one thing led to another, which got him so far away from God that he did not even know him anymore. Solomon learned one valuable lesson, without God we are never satisfied.
“I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” - Ecclesiastes 1:12-18.
Solomon admits that everything he labored for was to please his flesh, it was all worthless and was troubling to his spirit because God's will was not in it. The flesh is never satisfied, once it gets what it wants it quickly desires something else. Sadly, many today are still trying to gain fulfillment with worldly pursuits while ignoring the will of God, they are exhausted and unsatisfied, always looking for that one thing that will make them feel alive. The truth is, unless we make Christ our pursuit our labor will always be worthless and troubling to our spirit. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.” - Philippians 1:21,22.
When Solomon found out that knowledge did not give him satisfaction he turned to possessions, Solomon, whatever he desired he got it or made it, this also he found out to be exhausting and unsatisfying.
“I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:.. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” - Ecclesiastes 2:1-5,9-11.
True and lasting happiness and satisfaction consist not in mirth (social merriment), the gratifying of the appetite, the spending of money, or the getting of wisdom. Only he who sets God always before him and employs himself for God may find merriment and pleasure. Now, this does not mean that God has called everyone to work in the ministry, but it does mean that whatever job God calls you for, do it in a godly way. “He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” - Psalm 147:10,11.
Do not run yourself ragged with dead works, all it does is exhaust you and keep you unsatisfied. Do everything as if you are standing before God as He gives you your work schedule. God only rewards us for our labor when we look to Him and bring Him to work with us. Honestly, we get in less trouble when we take God to work with us too. “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.” - I Corinthians 3:8,9.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Wednesday, June 29, 2011
A Bigger God On My Side
King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: A Bigger God On My Side
Date: Wednesday June 29, 2011
Chapters: Job 41-42, Proverbs 29, Psalm 19
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-june-29
Details of Today's Chapters:
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13.
No matter if we are rich, poor, famous, or infamous, we all face trials in life, we can worry and stress ourselves out over them, but all that does is create more problems. The difference between Christians and people who live in the world is that we have Jesus Christ on our side. Amazingly, you can be rich, poor, famous, or infamous, and be accepted into the Kingdom of God, which is available only through Jesus Christ. We can accept that the circumstances will never change and do what is needed to just get by or we can spit in the devils face and tell him I have a bigger God on my side.
Job was a faithful, godly man, prosperous, famous, and probably consider to be like a king in his day, in a matter of days he lost his family, wealth, friends, wife, and health. On top of that the only four people that would talk to Him were condemning him. He could not understand why he was going through so much suffering and although he did not curse God he did question why He was not answering him. Finally, God answers Him, and asks him about eighty questions knowing that he could not possibly answer one of them. He elaborates on the power and strength of just one of His creations.
“Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?...None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me? Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.” - Job 41:1-3,10-12.
God tells Job that you can not possibly know everything about this powerful creature, he is mine and I am not going to reveal to you or anyone how I created him. God was trying to get Job to realize just how little all of us know about the things we already accept just by faith. We can not please God without faith nor can we expect to receive His blessings without it. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear... But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” - Hebrews 11:3,6.
Incidentally a leviathan is a type of dinosaur, proving that dinosaurs were here after the flood, not billions of years ago as scientist claim. The world strives on trying to figure out how God created everyone and thing, but the truth is they will never know. They might come up with these lame theories, but they are only ways to get people away from the truth. We are all born with the knowledge of God, it is over the years that one becomes distant to that fact as they allow the world to enter their lives. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” - Romans 1:20,21.
There is a revelation of God and His Word that goes beyond just believing the Truth and doctrines of the Bible. Those who have faith in God, as Job did, do not search for the answers to all of life's problems, but simply trust our loving Creator to get us through them. All the fears and frustrations will vanish if we truly trust in His loving care. No one, through human reasoning, is able to understand why the godly suffer, but we can come to the understanding the Job did, he answers God.
“I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.” - Job 42:2-7.
Job is saying, “I know You can do anything, I may not understand everything, but I am no one to question You.” This brought Job to the realization that he was not meant to know all the answers to life's problems, he just had to trust God and keep living by faith. We too must come to the place where we realize we do not know all the answers, but we trust God to give us the ones we need to know. God knows what He is doing, every trial, every circumstance, every situation we get into, is not by chance, it is all to get us to seek and put our trust and faith in Him and Him alone. “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. “ - Mark 11:22-24.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Message Title: A Bigger God On My Side
Date: Wednesday June 29, 2011
Chapters: Job 41-42, Proverbs 29, Psalm 19
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-june-29
Details of Today's Chapters:
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13.
No matter if we are rich, poor, famous, or infamous, we all face trials in life, we can worry and stress ourselves out over them, but all that does is create more problems. The difference between Christians and people who live in the world is that we have Jesus Christ on our side. Amazingly, you can be rich, poor, famous, or infamous, and be accepted into the Kingdom of God, which is available only through Jesus Christ. We can accept that the circumstances will never change and do what is needed to just get by or we can spit in the devils face and tell him I have a bigger God on my side.
Job was a faithful, godly man, prosperous, famous, and probably consider to be like a king in his day, in a matter of days he lost his family, wealth, friends, wife, and health. On top of that the only four people that would talk to Him were condemning him. He could not understand why he was going through so much suffering and although he did not curse God he did question why He was not answering him. Finally, God answers Him, and asks him about eighty questions knowing that he could not possibly answer one of them. He elaborates on the power and strength of just one of His creations.
“Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?...None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me? Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.” - Job 41:1-3,10-12.
God tells Job that you can not possibly know everything about this powerful creature, he is mine and I am not going to reveal to you or anyone how I created him. God was trying to get Job to realize just how little all of us know about the things we already accept just by faith. We can not please God without faith nor can we expect to receive His blessings without it. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear... But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” - Hebrews 11:3,6.
Incidentally a leviathan is a type of dinosaur, proving that dinosaurs were here after the flood, not billions of years ago as scientist claim. The world strives on trying to figure out how God created everyone and thing, but the truth is they will never know. They might come up with these lame theories, but they are only ways to get people away from the truth. We are all born with the knowledge of God, it is over the years that one becomes distant to that fact as they allow the world to enter their lives. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” - Romans 1:20,21.
There is a revelation of God and His Word that goes beyond just believing the Truth and doctrines of the Bible. Those who have faith in God, as Job did, do not search for the answers to all of life's problems, but simply trust our loving Creator to get us through them. All the fears and frustrations will vanish if we truly trust in His loving care. No one, through human reasoning, is able to understand why the godly suffer, but we can come to the understanding the Job did, he answers God.
“I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.” - Job 42:2-7.
Job is saying, “I know You can do anything, I may not understand everything, but I am no one to question You.” This brought Job to the realization that he was not meant to know all the answers to life's problems, he just had to trust God and keep living by faith. We too must come to the place where we realize we do not know all the answers, but we trust God to give us the ones we need to know. God knows what He is doing, every trial, every circumstance, every situation we get into, is not by chance, it is all to get us to seek and put our trust and faith in Him and Him alone. “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. “ - Mark 11:22-24.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The Battle Within Ourselves
King James Bible Study Daily Devotional
Message Title: The Battle Within Ourselves
Date: Tuesday June 28, 2011
Today's Chapters: Job 39-40, Proverb 28, Psalm 18
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-june-28
Details of Today's Chapters: God asks Job a number of questions, Job answers God, and God's response
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me. God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.” - Psalm 55:17-23.
The word sustain means to maintain, to keep alive, it's the ability to bear, to uphold, and to endure the circumstances in our lives without failing or yielding. God, sustains the life of every person who calls on Jesus Christ to save them, meaning when the flesh dies the soul remain alive up in heaven. Now, having eternal life does not mean that we will not have to deal with any suffering while here on earth, but it does mean that in every trial we face, God is with us and will help us bare it. The strange thing is that many of us keep on suffering because we fight the biggest battle we will ever fight and that is ourselves. Satan loves to keep us dwelling on the past, keep us feeling guilty for things God has already forgiven and forgotten about. But as we cast our burden upon Jesus He will not only give peace to our soul He will also help us win the battle.
The entire time Job and his friends were debating over Job's afflictions God was listening in on all of it, He carefully listened as Job's friends accused him of being a secret sinner, liar, and hypocrite. He carefully listened to Job as he defended their accusations, questioned God, and even wished that He would end his life at one time. Little did they realize that the entire time a storm was brewing, all of a sudden a whirlwind appears, God stops them in their tracks and begins asking Job a series of questions He knew he could not answer and now come the second set of questions.
“Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn? Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;” - Job 39:9-16.
God shows Job what little acquaintance he had with the untamed creatures that run wild in the deserts and live at large. The unicorn, (yes they were real) a strong, stately, proud creature, is able to serve, but not willing. The peacock, an emblem of pride, when he struts, he shows his fine feathers. The ostrich, a foolish bird, careless of her young. There are some creatures that are willing to serve man, they take pleasure in serving them and to have the love of their masters. Yet many are so wild that they will never submit to a human, these are all examples of those who know God exists, yet will never submit to Him, everything they do in life is in vain, it's worthless. Until we know Christ, we are walking, talking, dead souls, laboring in vain. “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.” - I John 5:11,12.
When we are afflicted the first thing most of us do is question why we are suffering, some people will replay what they have been doing, even retracing the past to see if it was something back then that they had not repented of causing the affliction. Then we start asking God why He is afflicting us, He will give us the answer eventually, but you can be sure that if we have questions for God He will have questions for us. God demands an answer from Job.
“Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further. Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.” - Job 40:1-7.
Job did not know how to answer God's questions, his only response, “I am vile or wretched, I have no answer.”
Amazingly the closer we get to Jesus the more wretched we feel about ourselves, which is probably what gets us thinking about the past in the first place. However, we have to face God, we must stand before Him and answer His questions. If we truly think about what we are asking He will show us the answers to our questions, the truth is, we are much harder on ourselves than God is and that is what causes us to suffer longer that we need to. If you have Jesus in you, God has forgiven you of all your sins, that means it is time for you to forgive you and stop suffering in vain.
“Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain...Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree...For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” - Galatians 3:3,4,13,26,27. The burden of afflictions we face are very heavy, especially when attended with the temptations of Satan, there is also the burden of sin and corruption. The only relief under it is, to look to Christ, who bore it for us.
Care is a burden, it makes the heart stoop to levels that it would never stoop to, but we must commit our ways and works to the Lord, let Him do what seems good to Him, and let us be satisfied with what He gives us. To cast our burden upon Christ, is to rest upon His providence and promise. And if we do so, he will carry us in the arms of His power. He will never suffer the righteous to be moved, He will sustain all who put their faith and trust in Him. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Message Title: The Battle Within Ourselves
Date: Tuesday June 28, 2011
Today's Chapters: Job 39-40, Proverb 28, Psalm 18
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-june-28
Details of Today's Chapters: God asks Job a number of questions, Job answers God, and God's response
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me. God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.” - Psalm 55:17-23.
The word sustain means to maintain, to keep alive, it's the ability to bear, to uphold, and to endure the circumstances in our lives without failing or yielding. God, sustains the life of every person who calls on Jesus Christ to save them, meaning when the flesh dies the soul remain alive up in heaven. Now, having eternal life does not mean that we will not have to deal with any suffering while here on earth, but it does mean that in every trial we face, God is with us and will help us bare it. The strange thing is that many of us keep on suffering because we fight the biggest battle we will ever fight and that is ourselves. Satan loves to keep us dwelling on the past, keep us feeling guilty for things God has already forgiven and forgotten about. But as we cast our burden upon Jesus He will not only give peace to our soul He will also help us win the battle.
The entire time Job and his friends were debating over Job's afflictions God was listening in on all of it, He carefully listened as Job's friends accused him of being a secret sinner, liar, and hypocrite. He carefully listened to Job as he defended their accusations, questioned God, and even wished that He would end his life at one time. Little did they realize that the entire time a storm was brewing, all of a sudden a whirlwind appears, God stops them in their tracks and begins asking Job a series of questions He knew he could not answer and now come the second set of questions.
“Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn? Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;” - Job 39:9-16.
God shows Job what little acquaintance he had with the untamed creatures that run wild in the deserts and live at large. The unicorn, (yes they were real) a strong, stately, proud creature, is able to serve, but not willing. The peacock, an emblem of pride, when he struts, he shows his fine feathers. The ostrich, a foolish bird, careless of her young. There are some creatures that are willing to serve man, they take pleasure in serving them and to have the love of their masters. Yet many are so wild that they will never submit to a human, these are all examples of those who know God exists, yet will never submit to Him, everything they do in life is in vain, it's worthless. Until we know Christ, we are walking, talking, dead souls, laboring in vain. “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.” - I John 5:11,12.
When we are afflicted the first thing most of us do is question why we are suffering, some people will replay what they have been doing, even retracing the past to see if it was something back then that they had not repented of causing the affliction. Then we start asking God why He is afflicting us, He will give us the answer eventually, but you can be sure that if we have questions for God He will have questions for us. God demands an answer from Job.
“Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further. Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.” - Job 40:1-7.
Job did not know how to answer God's questions, his only response, “I am vile or wretched, I have no answer.”
Amazingly the closer we get to Jesus the more wretched we feel about ourselves, which is probably what gets us thinking about the past in the first place. However, we have to face God, we must stand before Him and answer His questions. If we truly think about what we are asking He will show us the answers to our questions, the truth is, we are much harder on ourselves than God is and that is what causes us to suffer longer that we need to. If you have Jesus in you, God has forgiven you of all your sins, that means it is time for you to forgive you and stop suffering in vain.
“Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain...Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree...For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” - Galatians 3:3,4,13,26,27. The burden of afflictions we face are very heavy, especially when attended with the temptations of Satan, there is also the burden of sin and corruption. The only relief under it is, to look to Christ, who bore it for us.
Care is a burden, it makes the heart stoop to levels that it would never stoop to, but we must commit our ways and works to the Lord, let Him do what seems good to Him, and let us be satisfied with what He gives us. To cast our burden upon Christ, is to rest upon His providence and promise. And if we do so, he will carry us in the arms of His power. He will never suffer the righteous to be moved, He will sustain all who put their faith and trust in Him. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Will Be In Heaven? You Can Be: http://www.godsprice.com
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Monday, June 27, 2011
Growing As A Christian
King James Bible Study Daily Devotional
Message Title: Growing As A Christian
Date: Monday June 27, 2011
Today's Chapters: Job 37-38, Proverb 27, Psalm 17
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-june-27
Details of Today's Chapters: Elihu continues his speech, God shows up and starts asking Job questions.
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant...Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;” - I Corinthians 12:1,4-8.
As we grow and mature in our Christianity we become wiser to the Word of God as He reveals His mysteries to us. It is amazing how God only reveals a little bit at a time for us so we learn to comprehend it all, not just parts of it, and I think we will never truly learn everything God wants us to know, but He truly knows what He is doing. Some of us comprehend God's Word quicker than others, but that does not mean one is smarter than another, it just means that we all are called to know certain things of God, yet there are just some things none of us need to know. We have to be careful though not to get to the point that we think we know everything we need to know, no matter how many times you read the Bible there is always more to know.
As Job sat there while one friend after another condemned him, his only question was, “Where is God and why doesn't He answer me?” Little did he realize that God was listening, He was listening to all of them. As Elihu was speaking a storm was brewing. “After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard...Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north. By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened. Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud:..Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.” - Job 37:4,9-11,14.
The changes of the weather are the subject of a great deal of our thoughts and common talk, but how seldom do we think and speak of these things, as Elihu, with a regard to God, the director of them all! We must notice the glory of God, not only in the thunder and lightning, but in the more common and less awful changes of the weather; as the snow and rain. Nature directs all creatures to shelter themselves from a storm, how much more would God shelter His people from the storms in their lives. Oh, we may have to be in a storm, but we need not be afraid when Christ is with us. “Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.” - Psalm 107:28,29.
Suddenly Elihu was interrupted as out of the whirlwind comes the voice of God, “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” - Job 38:1-7.
God knew that Jobs friends played a part in his discouragement, but first He has some questions for Job. To gird up thy loins means to get ready for battle, God wants Job to be ready for battle and wants a direct answer to His questions. Of course, God knew that there was no way that Job could answer any of these questions. It's ridiculous what all these scientists come up with to try and figure out how God made the earth and everything in between. God will never reveal such information because He knows they will distort it even more than they already have. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” - Romans 1:22-25.
We can not possibly know everything that God has done or the reason why He places certain circumstances in our lives at the time, we just have to rely on our trust and faith in Him to get us through them. God will reveal the reasons for our suffering when the time is right, He does not want us to walk around in pity, He wants us to trust Him. “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.” - Psalm 18:30-32.
The is always more to know about God, you can be sure that Satan will twist the Scriptures to try to mislead us, but that is just one more reason why we must read all of the Bible for ourselves. It is great to have help, but we need to make sure that who we are getting advice from lines up with the Word of God. Counselors may have all the degrees and qualifications the world can give, but unless their advice is in harmony with God's Word, it is false and good for no one, except Satan. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” - Psalm 1:1-3. Praise God!
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Will Be In Heaven? You Can Be: http://www.godsprice.com
Missed A Devotional: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study
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Message Title: Growing As A Christian
Date: Monday June 27, 2011
Today's Chapters: Job 37-38, Proverb 27, Psalm 17
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-june-27
Details of Today's Chapters: Elihu continues his speech, God shows up and starts asking Job questions.
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant...Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;” - I Corinthians 12:1,4-8.
As we grow and mature in our Christianity we become wiser to the Word of God as He reveals His mysteries to us. It is amazing how God only reveals a little bit at a time for us so we learn to comprehend it all, not just parts of it, and I think we will never truly learn everything God wants us to know, but He truly knows what He is doing. Some of us comprehend God's Word quicker than others, but that does not mean one is smarter than another, it just means that we all are called to know certain things of God, yet there are just some things none of us need to know. We have to be careful though not to get to the point that we think we know everything we need to know, no matter how many times you read the Bible there is always more to know.
As Job sat there while one friend after another condemned him, his only question was, “Where is God and why doesn't He answer me?” Little did he realize that God was listening, He was listening to all of them. As Elihu was speaking a storm was brewing. “After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard...Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north. By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened. Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud:..Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.” - Job 37:4,9-11,14.
The changes of the weather are the subject of a great deal of our thoughts and common talk, but how seldom do we think and speak of these things, as Elihu, with a regard to God, the director of them all! We must notice the glory of God, not only in the thunder and lightning, but in the more common and less awful changes of the weather; as the snow and rain. Nature directs all creatures to shelter themselves from a storm, how much more would God shelter His people from the storms in their lives. Oh, we may have to be in a storm, but we need not be afraid when Christ is with us. “Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.” - Psalm 107:28,29.
Suddenly Elihu was interrupted as out of the whirlwind comes the voice of God, “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” - Job 38:1-7.
God knew that Jobs friends played a part in his discouragement, but first He has some questions for Job. To gird up thy loins means to get ready for battle, God wants Job to be ready for battle and wants a direct answer to His questions. Of course, God knew that there was no way that Job could answer any of these questions. It's ridiculous what all these scientists come up with to try and figure out how God made the earth and everything in between. God will never reveal such information because He knows they will distort it even more than they already have. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” - Romans 1:22-25.
We can not possibly know everything that God has done or the reason why He places certain circumstances in our lives at the time, we just have to rely on our trust and faith in Him to get us through them. God will reveal the reasons for our suffering when the time is right, He does not want us to walk around in pity, He wants us to trust Him. “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.” - Psalm 18:30-32.
The is always more to know about God, you can be sure that Satan will twist the Scriptures to try to mislead us, but that is just one more reason why we must read all of the Bible for ourselves. It is great to have help, but we need to make sure that who we are getting advice from lines up with the Word of God. Counselors may have all the degrees and qualifications the world can give, but unless their advice is in harmony with God's Word, it is false and good for no one, except Satan. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” - Psalm 1:1-3. Praise God!
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Will Be In Heaven? You Can Be: http://www.godsprice.com
Missed A Devotional: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study
Subscribe To This Devotional: devotions@imfollowingjesus.com
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Humbled By God's Grace
King James Bible Study Daily Devotional
*** Due to conflicting dates (my error when creating the new schedule) daily Scripture reading in chronological order will resume on Sunday's beginning Sunday June 26. A daily Proverbs & Psalms will still be given everyday for extra reading. I apologize for any confusion. Thank you and God bless you, ***
Message Title:Humbled By God's Grace
Date: Sunday June 27, 2011
Today's Chapters: Job 35-36, Proverb 26, Psalm 16
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-june-26
Details of Today's Chapters:
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” - I Peter 5:2-6.
The word humility is defined as freedom from pride and arrogance, the state of being reduced to lowliness of the mind. We have all been humiliated from time to time, felt so embarrassed about something that we just want to hide in a corner somewhere. Sometimes God allows humility in our lives in order to get us to lose our pride and find His grace. Let's face it, we are all saved by God's grace, we are all who we are today by God's grace. “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. “ - I Corinthians 15:10.
What is grace? It is the free unmerited love and favor of God. We are not saved because we go to church, read our Bibles, or pray. We are saved because we received God's great gift, eternal life through His Son. Everything we are and have is by God's grace, when we lose sight of that God will place humility before us, not to punish us, remember, we are not always afflicted by sin, but to exalt us.
Here is Job, probably facing the worst humility he ever faced, one by one his friends belittle him, mock him, and call him a hypocrite. The more he defends himself the more chastisement he gets, he even got to the point at one time that he wanted God to end his life so he would not have to suffer any more. Now, Job has had enough of their discouragement and just wants to be judged accordingly and Elihu continues to judge him, trying to get the other two friends to back him up.
“Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it. Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him. But now, because it is not so, he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth it not in great extremity: Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.” - Job 35:13-16.
Job really did not open his mouth in vain, which means wasteful, while it is true that God will not pay attention to us when we seek Him in vain He will pay attention to us when we humbly seeks Him. It is vain to appeal to God to remove affliction or to try to acquit ourselves if we have not studied to know the end for which the affliction was sent. It is equally vain to pray for relief when we do not trust our case in God’s hands. There is a day of judgment, when all that seems amiss will be found to be right, and all that seems dark and difficult will be cleared up and set straight. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” - James 1:2.
Elihu continues his speech, maintaining that the affliction he was faced with was sent for his trial and lengthened because Job was not yet thoroughly humbled under it, still referring him to a hypocrite.
“Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet to speak on God's behalf. I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words shall not be false: he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee. Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom. He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor...If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them.“ - Job 36:2-6,11-13.
Elihu shows that God acts as a righteous Governor, He is always ready to defend those that are injured. If our eye is ever toward God in duty, His eye will be ever upon us in mercy, and, when we are at the lowest, He will not overlook us. God intends, when He afflicts us, to discover past sins to us, and to bring them to our remembrance. Also, to humble our hearts to be taught, affliction makes people willing to learn, through the grace of God working with and by it. “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” - Luke 14:11.
God does all things well. although it may seem sometimes that we are neglected and forgotten and that providence has made an oversight, yet the tender eye of the heavenly Father is upon us, and when affliction has accomplished that for which it was sent, we shall be comforted and established. God's grace is more than efficient to not only save us from hell, but guide us and protect us through all our humility. In due time we will exalted, which means to elevate in power, wealth, rank or dignity, as we humble ourselves before God through all of our afflictions. “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 4:7-10.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Will Be In Heaven? You Can Be: http://www.godsprice.com
Missed A Devotional: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study
Subscribe To This Devotional: devotions@imfollowingjesus.com
I'm Following Jesus Online Missions www.imfollowingjesus.com
*** Due to conflicting dates (my error when creating the new schedule) daily Scripture reading in chronological order will resume on Sunday's beginning Sunday June 26. A daily Proverbs & Psalms will still be given everyday for extra reading. I apologize for any confusion. Thank you and God bless you, ***
Message Title:Humbled By God's Grace
Date: Sunday June 27, 2011
Today's Chapters: Job 35-36, Proverb 26, Psalm 16
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-june-26
Details of Today's Chapters:
Hello My Friend/Guest,
“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” - I Peter 5:2-6.
The word humility is defined as freedom from pride and arrogance, the state of being reduced to lowliness of the mind. We have all been humiliated from time to time, felt so embarrassed about something that we just want to hide in a corner somewhere. Sometimes God allows humility in our lives in order to get us to lose our pride and find His grace. Let's face it, we are all saved by God's grace, we are all who we are today by God's grace. “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. “ - I Corinthians 15:10.
What is grace? It is the free unmerited love and favor of God. We are not saved because we go to church, read our Bibles, or pray. We are saved because we received God's great gift, eternal life through His Son. Everything we are and have is by God's grace, when we lose sight of that God will place humility before us, not to punish us, remember, we are not always afflicted by sin, but to exalt us.
Here is Job, probably facing the worst humility he ever faced, one by one his friends belittle him, mock him, and call him a hypocrite. The more he defends himself the more chastisement he gets, he even got to the point at one time that he wanted God to end his life so he would not have to suffer any more. Now, Job has had enough of their discouragement and just wants to be judged accordingly and Elihu continues to judge him, trying to get the other two friends to back him up.
“Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it. Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him. But now, because it is not so, he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth it not in great extremity: Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.” - Job 35:13-16.
Job really did not open his mouth in vain, which means wasteful, while it is true that God will not pay attention to us when we seek Him in vain He will pay attention to us when we humbly seeks Him. It is vain to appeal to God to remove affliction or to try to acquit ourselves if we have not studied to know the end for which the affliction was sent. It is equally vain to pray for relief when we do not trust our case in God’s hands. There is a day of judgment, when all that seems amiss will be found to be right, and all that seems dark and difficult will be cleared up and set straight. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” - James 1:2.
Elihu continues his speech, maintaining that the affliction he was faced with was sent for his trial and lengthened because Job was not yet thoroughly humbled under it, still referring him to a hypocrite.
“Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet to speak on God's behalf. I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words shall not be false: he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee. Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom. He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor...If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them.“ - Job 36:2-6,11-13.
Elihu shows that God acts as a righteous Governor, He is always ready to defend those that are injured. If our eye is ever toward God in duty, His eye will be ever upon us in mercy, and, when we are at the lowest, He will not overlook us. God intends, when He afflicts us, to discover past sins to us, and to bring them to our remembrance. Also, to humble our hearts to be taught, affliction makes people willing to learn, through the grace of God working with and by it. “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” - Luke 14:11.
God does all things well. although it may seem sometimes that we are neglected and forgotten and that providence has made an oversight, yet the tender eye of the heavenly Father is upon us, and when affliction has accomplished that for which it was sent, we shall be comforted and established. God's grace is more than efficient to not only save us from hell, but guide us and protect us through all our humility. In due time we will exalted, which means to elevate in power, wealth, rank or dignity, as we humble ourselves before God through all of our afflictions. “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 4:7-10.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Will Be In Heaven? You Can Be: http://www.godsprice.com
Missed A Devotional: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study
Subscribe To This Devotional: devotions@imfollowingjesus.com
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