Romans 4:25
25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Justified
When you do something dumb, wouldn't it be cool if you could rewind the tape of your life so that it never happened? When God justifies us, it's just as if our sin never happened. It's gone. Vanished. Good thing we don't have to work for justification because no amount of work would ever outweigh our mound of sin. Being justified is a gift from God that we get when we believe in Jesus.
- Zondervan Teen Devotional Bible
Justification in this case means to be free from guilt or penalty of sin. So when you repent, God forgives you and does not hold your sin against you.
About 2 or so months ago, the Youth Pastor of Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene preached a message on the ministry of reconciliation, forgiveness. He said that forgiveness is restoring the person who sinned against you back to the place where they were before they committed the sin. Basically, if you were my close friend and you hurt me terribly, forgiveness would require me to be your close friend again. The Pastor said that you are not trusting that the person will not hurt you again, but that God's grace is sufficient. I still don't understand what he meant by that. But I think he was ultimately saying that when you forgive someone, you don't treat them in light of what they have done to you. You do what God does and wipe it from memory.
And it sounds outrageous. Even typing this now, I'm questioning this belief because it sounds so ridiculous. But how can we expect perfect forgiveness and perfect mercy when we are not forgiving and merciful? The see-saw has to be balanced. And I have to keep on reminding myself that the spirit of forgiveness is not a quality that you obtain overnight. It takes time. But God's cool with that, He understands our humaness. But He still calls us to do our best. And in truth, the Holy Spirit in us, the God in us, is the one who's doing the work. He is the one forgiving our foes and living the Christian life for us. More on that tomorrow.
Love and Jesus <3
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Real Love
I believe that these few verses fully embody the reason why I am a Christian.
Romans 5
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Praise God. Thank You Jesus. That is absolutely crazy. Even though we spat in His face and flogged Him and cursed Him, He died for our salvation. I mean, who does that? I believe with all my heart that God is insane. I know that He knows what He's doing, but the reason He does what He does will forever boggle my mind. I'm not worthy of this love! It's insane. Really and truly. Love is the driving force behind all that God does. Love and His glory. But then, maybe those two are synonymous? I don't know. All I know is that God has a real, deep, passionate love for me. And that's crazy.
One part that is idealistic, but hard to put into practice is verse 3, where we are called to rejoice in our sufferings. One thing that I am glad to God about is the fact that suffering draws us nearer to Him. But man, suffering is not fun. And I believe that I'd be strong enough for whatever comes my way, just me and God toughin' it out, but I don't how I'd be if I lost someone close to me. I don't know what that's like yet. My grandparents died, a sister in the church died, but I was never intimately involved in their lives. I miss them, but I don't cry when I think of them. It crosses my mind what I would do if my sister died. And when I think about it, it scares me. Because I don't know what I'd do. I don't know what I'd do! I go to her for EVERYTHING. And I doubt I'd run away from God, but I would be angry at Him and cling to Him at the same time. I'd def. probably do that. And things unexpected always happen to test your faith and I always worry that because I believe that the death of my sister is the worst thing that could ever happen to me, it will happen. God, please take that spirit of fear out of me. You said that You will never give me more than I can bear, so if Nicky dies, it means that I'll be able to bear it. You and me together. So when suffering comes, I will rejoice anyway. I will rejoice. Holy Spirit in me, give me the strength to rejoice through the pain.
These verses are so rich, I can go on and on. But I won't :3
Dad, thank You for sending Jesus to redeem mankind. And Jesus, thank You for reconciling us with the Father. I pray that Your message of hope and peace and eternal life will reach the people of the world and will transform it. For those in despair, those who are depressed, I pray that You will reveal Yourself to them and that they will be a first-hand witness of Your goodness and of Your mercy and of Your friendship and of Your love. Heal the world God, and may the Church, may Your people, be sharp and effective tools in the winning of souls for Your Kingdom. Thank You Jesus for who You are. I pray this in the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.
Romans 5
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Praise God. Thank You Jesus. That is absolutely crazy. Even though we spat in His face and flogged Him and cursed Him, He died for our salvation. I mean, who does that? I believe with all my heart that God is insane. I know that He knows what He's doing, but the reason He does what He does will forever boggle my mind. I'm not worthy of this love! It's insane. Really and truly. Love is the driving force behind all that God does. Love and His glory. But then, maybe those two are synonymous? I don't know. All I know is that God has a real, deep, passionate love for me. And that's crazy.
One part that is idealistic, but hard to put into practice is verse 3, where we are called to rejoice in our sufferings. One thing that I am glad to God about is the fact that suffering draws us nearer to Him. But man, suffering is not fun. And I believe that I'd be strong enough for whatever comes my way, just me and God toughin' it out, but I don't how I'd be if I lost someone close to me. I don't know what that's like yet. My grandparents died, a sister in the church died, but I was never intimately involved in their lives. I miss them, but I don't cry when I think of them. It crosses my mind what I would do if my sister died. And when I think about it, it scares me. Because I don't know what I'd do. I don't know what I'd do! I go to her for EVERYTHING. And I doubt I'd run away from God, but I would be angry at Him and cling to Him at the same time. I'd def. probably do that. And things unexpected always happen to test your faith and I always worry that because I believe that the death of my sister is the worst thing that could ever happen to me, it will happen. God, please take that spirit of fear out of me. You said that You will never give me more than I can bear, so if Nicky dies, it means that I'll be able to bear it. You and me together. So when suffering comes, I will rejoice anyway. I will rejoice. Holy Spirit in me, give me the strength to rejoice through the pain.
These verses are so rich, I can go on and on. But I won't :3
Dad, thank You for sending Jesus to redeem mankind. And Jesus, thank You for reconciling us with the Father. I pray that Your message of hope and peace and eternal life will reach the people of the world and will transform it. For those in despair, those who are depressed, I pray that You will reveal Yourself to them and that they will be a first-hand witness of Your goodness and of Your mercy and of Your friendship and of Your love. Heal the world God, and may the Church, may Your people, be sharp and effective tools in the winning of souls for Your Kingdom. Thank You Jesus for who You are. I pray this in the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Kingdom Shall Be The Lord's
Reading Obadiah. I heard from someone...I think it was Mrs. Ilene that you should read the historical parts of the Bible as if God is talking directly to you. It seems less like a history lesson that way. So I tried doing that with the book of Obadiah.
1 The vision of Obadiah.
This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom—
We have heard a message from the LORD :
An envoy was sent to the nations to say,
"Rise, and let us go against her for battle"-
2 "See, I will make you small among the nations;
you will be utterly despised.
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks
and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
'Who can bring me down to the ground?'
4 Though you soar like the eagle
and make your nest among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,"
declares the LORD.
5 "If thieves came to you,
if robbers in the night—
Oh, what a disaster awaits you—
would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes?
6 But how Esau will be ransacked,
his hidden treasures pillaged!
7 All your allies will force you to the border;
your friends will deceive and overpower you;
those who eat your bread will set a trap for you,
but you will not detect it.
8 "In that day," declares the LORD,
"will I not destroy the wise men of Edom,
men of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
9 Your warriors, O Teman, will be terrified,
and everyone in Esau's mountains
will be cut down in the slaughter.
10 Because of the violence against your brother Jacob,
you will be covered with shame;
you will be destroyed forever.
11 On the day you stood aloof
while strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
and cast lots for Jerusalem,
you were like one of them.
12 You should not look down on your brother
in the day of his misfortune,
nor rejoice over the people of Judah
in the day of their destruction,
nor boast so much
in the day of their trouble.
13 You should not march through the gates of my people
in the day of their disaster,
nor look down on them in their calamity
in the day of their disaster,
nor seize their wealth
in the day of their disaster.
14 You should not wait at the crossroads
to cut down their fugitives,
nor hand over their survivors
in the day of their trouble.
15 "The day of the LORD is near
for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
your deeds will return upon your own head.
16 Just as you drank on my holy hill,
so all the nations will drink continually;
they will drink and drink
and be as if they had never been.
17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;
it will be holy,
and the house of Jacob
will possess its inheritance.
18 The house of Jacob will be a fire
and the house of Joseph a flame;
the house of Esau will be stubble,
and they will set it on fire and consume it.
There will be no survivors
from the house of Esau."
The LORD has spoken.
19 People from the Negev will occupy
the mountains of Esau,
and people from the foothills will possess
the land of the Philistines.
They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,
and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20 This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan
will possess the land as far as Zarephath;
the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
will possess the towns of the Negev.
21 Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion
to govern the mountains of Esau.
And the kingdom will be the LORD's.
Basically, I figure this passage means that you should not be evil because evil will be brought down. The verses that stuck out the most to me were 3 and 4. I have a pride issue, and God's been telling me lately that I nothing to be proud about. And I know all the facts of why that's true, but my human nature takes on the "I'm Man and I'm smart and yeah God made me but I can do things on my own. I can live without Him" attitude. Geez, thank God for Jesus. I need to be reminded that living without Him gets me into MESS (refer to "The Battle" blog for background information xD).
From this passage it's cool to see that in the end, good is victorious. Esau is robbed unnecessarily, lol, and stabbed in the back by people he trusted (verses 5&6, 7, respectively). He's warned though (verses 12-15). God makes it mad clear; do not act as if you are above everyone else and do not be cruel to those whom you think are below. Because these very same nations will "drink continually" (verse 16). In verse 18, the house of Jacob and Joseph become flames, and Esau is reduced to stubble. Stubble is defined by The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition as
The short, stiff stalks of grain or hay remaining on a field after harvesting.
Esau was reduced to left overs! Ouchies. Plus, it was set on fire (verse 18). This "great" nation was left to burn by the very nations that they looked down upon. No survivors. And the land that Esau occupied was given over to God's people. Wow, mess with God's people and get ready to feel the fire. Aigh, so glad I'm a daughter of God. But I hope I don't get into that safe mentality where I'm like "Yes, I am a child of God and I am going to Heaven!" but then I stop there, you know? Like, I don't want to keep God to myself, I wanna share. I'm supposed to share. So God, I pray that you will bless me greatly with the gift of evangelism. You are too good and too great to not know, and though I do not completely understand You, the people of this world need to know that You are God and give their lives over to You. May Your will be done Lord. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.
1 The vision of Obadiah.
This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom—
We have heard a message from the LORD :
An envoy was sent to the nations to say,
"Rise, and let us go against her for battle"-
2 "See, I will make you small among the nations;
you will be utterly despised.
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks
and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
'Who can bring me down to the ground?'
4 Though you soar like the eagle
and make your nest among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,"
declares the LORD.
5 "If thieves came to you,
if robbers in the night—
Oh, what a disaster awaits you—
would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes?
6 But how Esau will be ransacked,
his hidden treasures pillaged!
7 All your allies will force you to the border;
your friends will deceive and overpower you;
those who eat your bread will set a trap for you,
but you will not detect it.
8 "In that day," declares the LORD,
"will I not destroy the wise men of Edom,
men of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
9 Your warriors, O Teman, will be terrified,
and everyone in Esau's mountains
will be cut down in the slaughter.
10 Because of the violence against your brother Jacob,
you will be covered with shame;
you will be destroyed forever.
11 On the day you stood aloof
while strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
and cast lots for Jerusalem,
you were like one of them.
12 You should not look down on your brother
in the day of his misfortune,
nor rejoice over the people of Judah
in the day of their destruction,
nor boast so much
in the day of their trouble.
13 You should not march through the gates of my people
in the day of their disaster,
nor look down on them in their calamity
in the day of their disaster,
nor seize their wealth
in the day of their disaster.
14 You should not wait at the crossroads
to cut down their fugitives,
nor hand over their survivors
in the day of their trouble.
15 "The day of the LORD is near
for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
your deeds will return upon your own head.
16 Just as you drank on my holy hill,
so all the nations will drink continually;
they will drink and drink
and be as if they had never been.
17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;
it will be holy,
and the house of Jacob
will possess its inheritance.
18 The house of Jacob will be a fire
and the house of Joseph a flame;
the house of Esau will be stubble,
and they will set it on fire and consume it.
There will be no survivors
from the house of Esau."
The LORD has spoken.
19 People from the Negev will occupy
the mountains of Esau,
and people from the foothills will possess
the land of the Philistines.
They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,
and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20 This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan
will possess the land as far as Zarephath;
the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
will possess the towns of the Negev.
21 Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion
to govern the mountains of Esau.
And the kingdom will be the LORD's.
Basically, I figure this passage means that you should not be evil because evil will be brought down. The verses that stuck out the most to me were 3 and 4. I have a pride issue, and God's been telling me lately that I nothing to be proud about. And I know all the facts of why that's true, but my human nature takes on the "I'm Man and I'm smart and yeah God made me but I can do things on my own. I can live without Him" attitude. Geez, thank God for Jesus. I need to be reminded that living without Him gets me into MESS (refer to "The Battle" blog for background information xD).
From this passage it's cool to see that in the end, good is victorious. Esau is robbed unnecessarily, lol, and stabbed in the back by people he trusted (verses 5&6, 7, respectively). He's warned though (verses 12-15). God makes it mad clear; do not act as if you are above everyone else and do not be cruel to those whom you think are below. Because these very same nations will "drink continually" (verse 16). In verse 18, the house of Jacob and Joseph become flames, and Esau is reduced to stubble. Stubble is defined by The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition as
The short, stiff stalks of grain or hay remaining on a field after harvesting.
Esau was reduced to left overs! Ouchies. Plus, it was set on fire (verse 18). This "great" nation was left to burn by the very nations that they looked down upon. No survivors. And the land that Esau occupied was given over to God's people. Wow, mess with God's people and get ready to feel the fire. Aigh, so glad I'm a daughter of God. But I hope I don't get into that safe mentality where I'm like "Yes, I am a child of God and I am going to Heaven!" but then I stop there, you know? Like, I don't want to keep God to myself, I wanna share. I'm supposed to share. So God, I pray that you will bless me greatly with the gift of evangelism. You are too good and too great to not know, and though I do not completely understand You, the people of this world need to know that You are God and give their lives over to You. May Your will be done Lord. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Indescribable God + Evil-hearted Human = Insane Love
Isaiah 41: 10-14
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 "All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
14 Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob,
O little Israel,
for I myself will help you," declares the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
God is so awesome. Like seriously, think about it. This is the guy that created everything we know, every object, every person, every idea, concept, etc. I mean, wow, He created Existence. Our existence is a creation of God. Job 38 and onward most def. conveys the awesomeness and vastness of God.
4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone-
16 "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
19 "What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!
You have lived so many years!
22 "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,
26 to water a land where no man lives,
a desert with no one in it,
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God's dominion over the earth?
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Do they report to you, 'Here we are'?
36 Who endowed the heart with wisdom
or gave understanding to the mind?
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
38 when the dust becomes hard
and the clods of earth stick together?
And God just keeps on going. Job 38 and the chapters following are a reminder of how big God is. So when I fully realize and feel (don't think it's completely hit me yet) how big He is, it'll just kill even more to know that that same God cares HEAPS for me. I mean, I already know and understand that, but I'm waiting for the day when my body shakes because I am so overwhelmed. This God who gave us the capacity to think, to love, to reason; this God who laid the foundations of the earth; this God who placed the stars in the sky and knows them by name: This God loves me unconditionally and is on my side. The Creator of the UNIVERSE is on my side!!! That's CRAZY! He disgraces those who are against me, gives me the strength to fight on, and upholds me so that though I stumble, I will not fall. That...is freakin' amazing. A-MAY-ZING. Lord Jesus, I am eternally grateful to You. My flesh is rebellious and proud, but in my heart, I know that I do not deserve this. Even typing that out gave me a weird feeling. It went against the idea, the feeling that I am good and I deserve good, but God that is a lie. If I did not have Christ, I know that I would be a participant in activities that are wrong in Your eyes. Lord, thank You for loving me despite that though. Despite my flaws, despite my evil heart, thank You for loving me. Lil' ol' me. Big ol' God loves and cares for and fights for lil' ol' me! Wow God, Your love is amazing and I will never understand why you love us so much. A bajillion times more than Man's capacity to love. Hmph...that's crazy. You're insane. But thank you Lord, thank You. I pray that I will only come closer to You and that I will love You to maximum capacity X) Ah! Jesus! Thank You :-)
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 "All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
14 Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob,
O little Israel,
for I myself will help you," declares the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
God is so awesome. Like seriously, think about it. This is the guy that created everything we know, every object, every person, every idea, concept, etc. I mean, wow, He created Existence. Our existence is a creation of God. Job 38 and onward most def. conveys the awesomeness and vastness of God.
4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone-
16 "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
19 "What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!
You have lived so many years!
22 "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,
26 to water a land where no man lives,
a desert with no one in it,
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God's dominion over the earth?
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Do they report to you, 'Here we are'?
36 Who endowed the heart with wisdom
or gave understanding to the mind?
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
38 when the dust becomes hard
and the clods of earth stick together?
And God just keeps on going. Job 38 and the chapters following are a reminder of how big God is. So when I fully realize and feel (don't think it's completely hit me yet) how big He is, it'll just kill even more to know that that same God cares HEAPS for me. I mean, I already know and understand that, but I'm waiting for the day when my body shakes because I am so overwhelmed. This God who gave us the capacity to think, to love, to reason; this God who laid the foundations of the earth; this God who placed the stars in the sky and knows them by name: This God loves me unconditionally and is on my side. The Creator of the UNIVERSE is on my side!!! That's CRAZY! He disgraces those who are against me, gives me the strength to fight on, and upholds me so that though I stumble, I will not fall. That...is freakin' amazing. A-MAY-ZING. Lord Jesus, I am eternally grateful to You. My flesh is rebellious and proud, but in my heart, I know that I do not deserve this. Even typing that out gave me a weird feeling. It went against the idea, the feeling that I am good and I deserve good, but God that is a lie. If I did not have Christ, I know that I would be a participant in activities that are wrong in Your eyes. Lord, thank You for loving me despite that though. Despite my flaws, despite my evil heart, thank You for loving me. Lil' ol' me. Big ol' God loves and cares for and fights for lil' ol' me! Wow God, Your love is amazing and I will never understand why you love us so much. A bajillion times more than Man's capacity to love. Hmph...that's crazy. You're insane. But thank you Lord, thank You. I pray that I will only come closer to You and that I will love You to maximum capacity X) Ah! Jesus! Thank You :-)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The Word is my Weapon of Warfare
The Lord spoke to me through Mrs. Ilene yesterday. He was telling me that I HAVE to get into His Word if I want to fight and emerge victorious. I will discover my identity in the Word, and the gates of Hell will shake when my eyes are opened. So, I've made this blog, and it is my desire to log everyday some of the scripture verses that I've read. God, please make it happen. Satan will try to get in my way, but who is he compared to You?
I want to get to know You more God and I want my questions to be answered. And through Mrs. Ilene, you told me that I will find those answers in Your Word, Amen!
Isaiah 55:8-11
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Amen, praise God. I've been questioning God lately and trying to put logic behind this whole Christianity thing. But God is not logical. At least not by human standard. He knows more than I could ever know, so even though I'm confused and at times feel like I'm doing something that's beneath me, take heart that He knows what He's doing Janell. You don't need to know everything. God is omniscient. And He the only person who needs to know, 'cause He's the only One who can be trusted with all that knowledge. Imagine if humans had such power and knowledge? Hah!
About the versses 10 and 11, I find them very comforting. It gives me hope in the ministry of evangelism. When I tell people about Christ, it won't be for nothing. Through me, the Holy Spirit will saves souls and reconcile them with God. That is truly an honor. And very comforting.
Father, help me to trust in You and believe that You will honor your Word. Help me to let go of the need to know why, to let go of the desire to know the answer to everything. For You know better than I know and I can only trust and believe in You. Please give me the strength to do so. I pray this in the name of the Christ, Amen.
I want to get to know You more God and I want my questions to be answered. And through Mrs. Ilene, you told me that I will find those answers in Your Word, Amen!
Isaiah 55:8-11
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Amen, praise God. I've been questioning God lately and trying to put logic behind this whole Christianity thing. But God is not logical. At least not by human standard. He knows more than I could ever know, so even though I'm confused and at times feel like I'm doing something that's beneath me, take heart that He knows what He's doing Janell. You don't need to know everything. God is omniscient. And He the only person who needs to know, 'cause He's the only One who can be trusted with all that knowledge. Imagine if humans had such power and knowledge? Hah!
About the versses 10 and 11, I find them very comforting. It gives me hope in the ministry of evangelism. When I tell people about Christ, it won't be for nothing. Through me, the Holy Spirit will saves souls and reconcile them with God. That is truly an honor. And very comforting.
Father, help me to trust in You and believe that You will honor your Word. Help me to let go of the need to know why, to let go of the desire to know the answer to everything. For You know better than I know and I can only trust and believe in You. Please give me the strength to do so. I pray this in the name of the Christ, Amen.
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