Message from Scripture: 9/30/2021

 

Our message from Scripture today comes from Psa. 39:4; “LORD, make me aware of my end and the number of my days so that I will know how short-lived I am.”

 

The time we have in life is shorter every day. Can you think back to when you were younger, and time seemed to go by at a snail’s pace? Everything seemed to take forever before reaching a certain stage in life, or accomplishing a specific task, or just getting to the end of a day, for that matter. The older we get, however, our days seem to be passing quickly, zooming along at an unbelievable pace. All of this reminds us, whether time seems to be passing slowly or quickly, we only have a limited number of days in life, and each day brings us closer to when they will end, and we pass into eternity.

 

How are we spending the days we have left to us? We don’t know when they will come to an end, but we do know, at that time, we will be held accountable for how we spent them, how we lived life. Are we thinking there’s still plenty of time left before that day will come? No one knows their number or end except our God. I imagine then most would wish there was more time to focus on what is really important, what is eternal. Moses said, “They pass quickly and we fly away” (Psa. 90:10). Will what we spend our time on today be that important then? Will we find the trivial was far too consuming of our time then? Will we regret the spiritual wasn’t more of a focus? No matter what, we will give an accounting that will determine heaven or hell.

 

Today, let’s number our days, and make the most of what time we have left. It can make a difference in judgment. Eternal life is determined how we live each day, for God or ourselves. Since all we really have is today, let’s use it for what lasts. Serve the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with love and sincerity, and be prepared for when these days pass. God bless.

 

Robert

 

Message from Scripture: 9/29/2021

 

Our message from Scripture today comes from Psa. 119:72; “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”

 

The story is told of a young lady who was given a book to read. She tried reading it and found it to be quite dull and boring. Later, she fell in love with a young man who was a writer. In a conversation with him, she found out that he was the author of that book. She could then hardly wait to read it again. This time she found it to be a very interesting and fascinating book. What was the difference? She knew and loved the author.

 

Some think the Bible is dull and dry. But if they would read it with the idea in mind that here is a book written by their God and Creator, they would find it to be a challenging message. They need to come to love God. When they do, they will find His book to be both interesting and meaningful.

 

How can we not be interested in reading, and re-reading time and again, its inspired pages?  We can succumb to the deception of Satan, that it’s dull and dry, that it’s too old to have any significance in such times as ours, and that we don’t really need to know it to please God anyway. Nothing is further from the truth. It’s a message you can never outgrow, that addresses any issue we will face, and keeps our perspective filled with hope, no matter what. How can we not want to know what God, who truly loves us, has to say to us, the advice He offers us, His true commandments for life?

 

Today, let’s spend time in the word of God, so that we might please by our lifestyle our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It will make an eternal difference in us, and quite possibly, those who observe how we live. God bless.

 

Robert

 

Message from Scripture: 9/28/2021

 

Our message from Scripture today comes from Matt. 5:6; “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

 

How important should the spiritual be to us? How much should we desire a relationship with God? Jesus compares it to the physical sensations of hunger and thirst. The term hunger indicates desiring strongly; the term for thirst also indicates a strong desire, but also denotes the severest deprivation. Together they indicate a strong need with an urgent desire to have it filled, as in a literal thirst for water, or hunger for nourishment.  We can relate to these feelings, not in the extreme, but how we want to be satisfied, to be filled and experience the contentment that comes with it.

 

Jesus, of course, is speaking spiritually, of a deep burning desire to pursue the righteousness of God, to know and be filled with the righteousness of God’s will, to be right before God and live to please Him.  It’s the strong need to have a deep relationship with God in Christ.  For those who seek God deeply and sincerely, God will fill them, blessing them in a positive spiritual relationship with Him.  As the New Testament begins with this call, so it ends. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that hears, let him say, Come. And he that is thirsty, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).

 

This sentiment should be true of everyone who wears the name of Christ, who gave Himself for our sins. Deep in one’s heart, each knows which is really true of oneself.  Always remember the promise of our Lord; “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’" (John 7:37-38). Let’s go out and serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from this deep, abiding desire to be filled with His rich blessings. God bless.

 

Robert

 

Message from Scripture: 9/27/2021

 

Our message from Scripture today comes from Ex. 34:6; “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.”

 

Certainly, God loves us, but we need to understand that love in the context of His being God, and not from what our desires or preconceived ideas want. God’s love can be conceived as condoning any and every activity we engage in, whether righteous or otherwise. While God loves the sinner, He does not approve or condone sin. The Hebrew writer told his audience, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). If God didn’t love us, He would just let us live however we want and then suffer the consequences in eternity. Since we are to be in the image of His Son in eternity (1 John 3:2), the life of love we live today should be one of purifying ourselves from sinful thoughts and actions, just as Jesus is pure (1 John 3:3).

 

If we truly love God, shouldn’t we hunger and thirst for righteousness, as Jesus taught (Matt. 5:6)? Shouldn’t we earnestly seek and pursue peace and holiness? Yes, God loves us beyond measure; this is why life is filled with opportunities to live for Him, to repent and return to Him, to have a real hope for eternity. God in His love offers us all this and more, but His love in us should stir us to “cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1).

 

Today, let’s go out to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us truly love with the love of God, which He revealed in His word, and see the remarkable transformation that it brings, to reflect in us His image. God bless.

 

Robert

 

With Wings Like Eagles

 

One of the great passages of the Old Testament is found in Isa. 40. “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (40:28-31).

 

Edward Young, in his comments on this verse, tells us, “With apparently no effort the eagle mounts high into the sky; so the people of God will mount up from the depths of their griefs and difficulties.” The sight of an eagle soaring in the sky, seemingly without effort, is a beautiful and majestic scene. What an image God uses to convey the strength he offers those who trust in him, who put their confidence in him and living for him. 

 

Discouragement is one of Satan’s tools against us in daily Christian living. Not everything goes as we expect. We apply ourselves and work hard, sometimes to see no change, or from our perspective, things worsen. We pray but don’t feel God hears or answers. Facing the circumstances of life can be tiring, and looking at things from the perspective of today can get us down. But God offers a vision beyond today. Seeing eternity in all of life gives us strength and encouragement not to give up. When Paul considered the highs and lows of life, he could say, no matter what he faced, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).  Such confidence comes because he looked up and saw God in it all.

 

The Hebrew writer encourages us with a similar thought. “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1-2).

 

Soaring with eagles, running without becoming weary, what an image the prophet used to convey what God offers those spiritually focused in life. Don’t let life get you down, as God is always there to help, no matter the burden, no matter the joy. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle” (Psalm 103:2-5).

 

μαράνα θᾶ (1 Cor. 16:22)

 

Robert

 

Message from Scripture: 9/24/2021

 

Our message from Scripture today comes from John 20:30-31; “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;  but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

 

The term life is used over 30 times in the gospel of John, which shouldn’t surprise us, considering in Jesus there is life (John 1:4), and that by being in him we have life. The life he offers us isn’t just reserved for eternity, although the promise of eternal life is great and real (John 3:16). In Christ we have an abundant life here and now.  What are some of the blessings we have in Christ for today?

 

Well, God promises to bless us in trials (Jas. 1:3-4). While peace may be lacking in the world, in Christ our sins are forgiven and we have a new life with God in Him, which gives us peace (Eph. 2:14). Sin places us in bondage to Satan, but Christ offers us real freedom and life with a clear conscience (John 8:31-32). Many people may shun us, but God is always available for us to talk to, and help us with our burdens (Phil. 4:6-7). We have promises from God that will never be broken about life today and life eternal (Heb. 6:17-18). Many are filled with despair, but in Christ we always have hope (Rom. 8:24-25). While there is pain and sorrow in life today, we have a life waiting where the pains of life no longer exist (Rev. 21:4).

 

These assurances are only some of all God offers to us as His children. Praise God for his love, grace, mercy, help, strength, and every blessing He offers, so life today will bring life eternal. Let’s serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with complete confidence in what waits for us in heaven. What glory that will be. God bless.

 

Robert

 

Message from Scripture: 9/23/2021

 

Our message from Scripture today comes from Heb. 12:28-29; “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

 

Our attitude about others affects how we respond to them. If you admire and respect someone, you typically will want to honor them, which is seen in how you treat them.  Conversely, if you do not respect someone, it seems everything they ask is a burden to deal with, and contempt may be your response to them, which is descriptive of your relationship with them.

 

The Hebrew writer in our Scripture speaks of the awesome nature of God, of His great blessings for us. Couple love with an attitude of reverence and awe, and serving God acceptably, conforming to His will for us, should follow. We can claim to honor and love God, but if we refuse to serve Him, is that really true? Jesus said, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?” (Luke 6:46).  A husband can say he respects and loves his wife, but if he’s never there for her, does he really? An employee can say he respects his boss, but if he does his job haphazardly, does he? If we live as we desire, and expect God to accept us no matter what we say or do, isn’t that really disrespect rather than reverence? 

 

How blessed we are to have such a God and Savior as we do!  How awesome is His greatness and majesty!  How deep is His love!  How great is the life He offers us to live!  If we love and reverence Him, should it not be seen in our lifestyle, in what we think, say, do, feel, in everything? Today, let’s go out to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from reverence, showing to the world God is still God, and we are His creation. God bless.

 

Robert