Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Daily Verse 9/15/2009

John 1:12-14
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
This verses, like Romans 1:16-17 (the Verses of the Day for yesterday) lay out the simple truths of the Gospel- Those who recieve Christ by faith 1. Are Justified by God, and 2. Are given the right to Become the Sons of God. These awsome promises are for all those who by faith receive Christ.
John, in the second half of verse 12, make the point that receiving Christ must be by faith-"even to them that believe on his name"
The Gospel is about faith. We cannot save ourselves and our good works will never be good enough to justify us before God. The good news is that because we cannot earn salvation, we can receive it by placing our Faith in Christ's eternal sacrifice, his death on the cross which paved the way for our freedom from sin.
Thos of us who love Jesus must always keep Christ's sacrfice in our hearts and minds. He paid our debt and we must never forget it.
Be blessed and Be a blessing!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Verse of the Day 9/14/2009

Romans 1:16-17
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Thought on Psalm 46

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. 6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. 9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. 10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

The World can be a scary place at times. David knew that quite well-the word fear appears 61 times in the Psalms! However, In every instance, David fall back on the promises of God. He makes the choice to overcome His fears and trust God.
This passage is one of my favorites because David reminds us that even if everything around us shakes and trembles and falls, God was, is and always will be our "Refuge and strength, {our} very present help in trouble." It is precisely because God is our refuge that we do not have to give into fear.
This Psalm also gives us not just the why, but the how of not fearing-"BE STILL and KNOW that I AM GOD," Jehovah says to us. When we remember that God is on his throne and HE alone is God, it gives us hope to realize that He will continue to watch over his people.
I bring this up because nine years ago today, terrorists attacked this country. Terroroism is a scary thing, and the enemy would like nothing better than to make us afraid. But As we remember the day, let us not give in to fear- let us instead Be still and remember that no matter What God is still on His Throne and He is watching over us!
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Thoughts of Psalm 77:11-12

9/10/2009
I Will Remember the works of the LORD: Surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of thy work, and talk of thy doings."
Asaph, the writer of Psalm 77, decides to remember the works of the LORD, and so must we. When we stop and remember what God has done for us, it gives us a fresh perspective. When we acknowledge how good God has been to us, it helps us to see that just as He has brought us through every trial, so He Will again as we trust Him.
In Verse 12, Asaph goes one step further-Not only does he choose to remember all of the blessings and miracles of God, he states that he will "talk of [his] doings." It is not enough sometimes just to remember what God has done for us; we also must tell those around us. What does Revelation 12:11 say? The people of God overcome by the Blood of the Lamb (Christ's eternal sacrifice) and the Word of our testimony! When we talk about God's goodness, we not only give encouragement to those around us, we also overcome the enemy ourselves! It's a God ordained two-for-one deal -We get blessed and so do the people around us!
The Truth is, that as Christians, we have been blessed-God has done wonders in our lives. He has saved us by The Blood that He shed for us at Calvary and He has, by his eternal grace and mercy, given us the right to become the "sons of God" as John 1:14 states. If that-that the awesome, omnipotent, holy, majestic God would enter into a relation with mere mortal, frail humanity- If that is not the greatest miracle and wonder of all, that I don't know what is.
Let us do what Asaph purposed today-let's stop and remember God's Goodness and then let us overcome the enemy by telling others about the eternal love and mercy of God.
Be Blessed, and Be a Blessing!
Compassionate Conservative