The Bottom Line

I surely don't need to reinvent the wheel.  There are some teachings that say what I want to say without me having to reword or be more creative.  Today's reading in Check Book of Faith by Charles Spurgeon brings you to the bottom line of my faith.  We have lost 2 women in the past 10 days.  One who was 29 and loved Jesus with all her heart, mind, soul and strength.  The other was my dear mother in law who was  89  years old (2 days short of her 90th birthday) and a gracious quiet lady.  We loved her with the love of Christ.  I wrestle with where she is today.  I trust in the Mercy of God to speak to each of us individually - because faith is personal and the God of Israel is a personal lover of His own people.  But the Word of God stands, and as it is written I believe it to be true.  Today, if you have not received the Gift of God in Jesus Christ - please take a moment and make this the day to do so.  It is a matter of your eternal life.


Mouth Confession; Heart Belief

 
"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  Romans 10:9

There must be confession with the mouth. Have I made it? Have I openly avowed my faith in Jesus as the Savior whom God has raised from the dead, and have I done it in God's way! Let me honestly answer this question.

There must also be belief with the heart. Do I sincerely believe in the risen LORD Jesus? Do I trust in Him as my sole hope of salvation? Is this trust from my heart? Let me answer as before God.

If I can truly claim that I have both confessed Christ and believed in Him, then I am saved. The text does not say it may be so, but it is plain as a pikestaff and clear as the sun in the heavens: "Thou shalt be saved." As a believer and a confessor, I may lay my hand on this promise and plead it before the LORD God at this moment, and throughout life, and in the hour of death, and at the Day of Judgment.

I must be saved from the guilt of sin, the power of sin, the punishment of sin, and ultimately from the very being of sin. God hath said it -- "Thou shalt be saved." I believe it. I shall be saved. I am saved. Glory be to God forever and ever!

A Greater Glory

We prayed earnestly for a miracle.  We thought a complete healing would bring God great glory. But it did not happen that way. There was no healing.

Does that mean God did not hear our prayer or want to get the glory He so deserves?  By no means, no!!! A friend reminded us that that there is a greater Glory yet to be revealed. We just could not imagine it because of the loss.  Our thoughts are limited by pain and fear, but God's are not.

"And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." Jesus spoke those words with full knowledge that He would go to the cross to suffer and die.  Even He prayed for a change of plan. But, now the Greater Glory remains - Jesus rose from the dead and will return for those who believe in Him. 

What a sight that will be!! And she will be with Him.  No more fear, no more pain, no more death. 


When you ascended on high,
   you took many captives;
   you received gifts from people, even from the rebellious—
   that you, LORD God, might dwell there.

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
   who daily bears our burdens.

Our God is a God who saves;
   from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

references: Matthew 26:39,   Psalm 68:18-20
 

"Christen"

In honor of Christen, who went home to be with the Lord on January 9, 2012.  God holds her life in the palm of His hand.  She believed in His promises through Jesus the Messiah, and a future home in heaven as it is written,  “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” 
Revelation 21:3-4

Her last blog on December 8th shares her faith with us.  

Redemption 

Do you believe in God?  Do you believe that He is good?  He is.  It's not easy to truly believe that He is good.  Life is such a struggle for most of humanity on this planet.  We feel the injustice that our fallen world leaves us to cope with.  It hurts.  Sickness, betrayal, slavery.  It can weigh you down in a second.  Just watch the 10 o'clock news.  I know what little I have suffered/ presently suffer is minimal in this day.  Yet I grow weary of it just the same.  I cannot say that I understand why God doesn't end so many injustices, but I supposed if He did then there wouldn't be common grace that keeps us from being wiped out.

You have to come to a place where you honestly answer the question, 'Is God good?'  After our miscarriage, He asked me if I trusted Him.  That took a few weeks for me to realize.  By His grace, I was able to say, Yes, Lord, I trust you.  You are good.  Even now as I've been battling migraines, vertigo and hearing loss, I know that He is for me.  My healing and my deliverance are from His hand alone.

Posted 8th December 2011 by Christen R.

Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?

We have been in some difficult places over the year...but the Lord has been extremely gracious and freed us from chains that would bind.  We desired to stay faithful yet have at times failed, but our God remained most Faithful.

 

We remember the chronicles of Daniel (from 605 B.C.) who desired to be faithful to his God in a culture where they worshiped many gods, but not the God of Israel.  Daniel was known to be insightful, intelligent, and outstanding in wisdom, and having the spirit of 'the holy gods in him'.  But, because he did not worship the king alone,  he was thrown into the den of lions.  

 

The King of Cyrus liked Daniel.  He didn't want to send him to the lions den, but a law that he wrote earlier needed to be upheld.  He told Daniel he hoped that the God, whom Daniel served continually, would rescue him!  And when the evening passed, the king went to see how Daniel fared. 

 

Daniel was steadfast in his faith, and God chose to send his angel who shut the mouths of the lions. And so it turned out that Daniel would not get hurt.  When the king awoke and saw that Daniel was alive,  King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language:

 

"I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.  For He is the living God and He endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, and his dominion will never end.  He rescues and saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.  He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."

 

So this is the story that we remember for 2011.  God rescued Daniel from the pit.  And how by His Grace, Goodness, and Generosity of Spirit, He rescued us too.

 

What do you need rescuing from this year?  The God of Daniel is the same God who deserves our worship and praise today.  He still rescues and saves his people.  He is still desiring to see our trust in Him.  If you don't trust Him, how will He ever prove to you that He is the living God? 

Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?

Traditional Negro Spiritual

Written By: Unknown

Copyright Unknown

Didn't my Lord deliver Daniel,
Deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel?
Didn't my lord deliver Daniel,
Then why not a every man?

He delivered Daniel
From the lion's den,
And Jonah from the belly of the whale,
And the Hebrew children
From the fiery furnace,
Then why not every man?


Didn't my Lord deliver Daniel,
Deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel?
Didn't my lord deliver Daniel,
Then why not a every man?

I set my foot
On the gospel ship,
And the ship it begin to sail,
And it landed me over
On Canaan's shore,
And I'll never come back anymore.


Didn't my Lord deliver Daniel,
Deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel?
Didn't my lord deliver Daniel,
Then why not a every man?

Dare to Be Alone

 
"Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me." John 16:32

It need not be said that to carry out conviction into action is a costly sacrifice. It may make necessary renunciations and separations which leave one to feel a strange sense both of deprivation and loneliness. But he who will fly, as an eagle does, into the higher levels where cloudless day abides, and live in the sunshine of God, must be content to live a comparatively lonely life.

No bird is so solitary as the eagle. Eagles never fly in flocks; one, or at most two, ever being seen at once. But the life that is lived unto God, however it forfeits human companionships, knows Divine fellowship.

God seeks eagle-men. No man ever comes into a realization of the best things of God, who does not, upon the Godward side of his life, learn to walk alone with God. We find Abraham alone in Horeb upon the heights, but Lot, dwelling in Sodom. Moses, skilled in all the wisdom of Egypt must go forty years into the desert alone with God. Paul, who was filled with Greek learning and had also sat at the feet of Gamaliel, must go into Arabia and learn the desert life with God. Let God isolate us. I do not mean the isolation of a monastery. In this isolating experience He develops an independence of faith and life so that the soul needs no longer the constant help, prayer, faith or attention of his neighbor.

Such assistance and inspiration from the other members are necessary and have their place in the Christian's development, but there comes a time when they act as a direct hindrance to the individual's faith and welfare. God knows how to change the circumstances in order to give us an isolating experience. We yield to God and He takes us through something, and when it is over, those about us, who are no less loved than before, are no longer depended upon. We realize that He has wrought some things in us, and that the wings of our souls have learned to beat the upper air.

We must dare to be alone. Jacob must be left alone if the Angel of God is to whisper in his ear the mystic name of Shiloh; Daniel must be left alone if he is to see celestial visions; John must be banished to Patmos if he is deeply to take and firmly to keep "the print of heaven."


Taken from Streams in the Desert devotional and written by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

Immanuel - God with us

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God with us".

That is THE most profound prediction in the bible.  The virgin, which was Mary, gave birth to a son, which was Jesus, and they (us who believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord) will call him, God.

Do you hear the rubber of the road of faith screeching across the pavement of your understanding of who the baby is in the manger? 

Growing up, we had a wooden creche with various statues of the nativity scene.  We would line up Mary, Joseph, the 3 wise guys (aka Magi), various desert animals and play hide and seek with Jesus in the manger.  Fond memories.  But, NEVER did I consider that the baby in the manger as GOD himself.  He was a baby!

And yet, when the real baby lie in a manger over 2000 years ago,  the Magi from the East knew to bow down and worship him when they saw the child with his mother Mary.  In fact, they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.  How did they know?

Tradition has many explanations, but the bible says they traveled to Jerusalem because they saw an unusual star from the east that would represent the birth of the King of the Jews.  They were students of the bible and they studied the stars.  Putting things together, when seeing the star, they set out on a journey with confidence for Whom they were searching.  They believed the word of God with the signs that accompanied it to point them to the Truth.

This season, when you glance at the baby in the manger, consider what you know of Him from the Bible and if you have chosen to worship Him.  Wise men still seek Him.






References: Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; Jeremiah 23:5, Numbers 24:17, Micah 5:2, Matthew 1:23 - 2:12

Dial 9-1-1

In 1968, 9-1-1 became the national emergency number for the United States and in 1972 for Canada and other countries.  In theory at least, calling this single number provided a caller access to police, fire and ambulance services.   In theory.   A recent article revealed when dialing 911 you will not always get the response needed to help you in an emergency situation. Though not a perfect system, it is one we rely on in trouble.  But where can you turn when you need access to a greater Help?  When you turn to books of the Bible that have chapters 9 and verses 11, you will find God's promises, protection, deliverance, guidance, healing, security, truth and even warnings.  It is worth knowing these numbers.

Genesis 9:11 "I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."

Deuteronomy 9:11 "And at the end of forty days and forty nights the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant."

Nehemiah 9:11 "YOU divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into might waters."

Job 9:11 "When He passes me, I cannot see Him; when He goes by, I cannot perceive Him."

Psalm 9:11 "Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what He has done."

Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

Proverbs 9:11 "Through Me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life."

Isaiah 9:11 "For the LORD has strengthened..."
 
Daniel 9:11 "All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey You.  Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against You."

Amos 9:11 "In that day I will restore David's fallen tent.  I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be."

Zechariah 9:11 "As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit."

Luke 9:11 "HE welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing."

John 9:11 "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes.  HE told me to go to Siloam and wash.  So I went and washed, and then I could see."

Acts 9:11 "The LORD told him, "Go..."

Romans 9:11 "Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad-in order that God's purpose in election might stand...not by works but by HIM who calls"

Hebrews 9:11 "When Messiah came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation."

Revelation 9:11 "They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon."  (In the Hebrew scriptures, Abaddon comes to mean "place of destruction," or the realm of the dead, and is associated with Sheol)


I believe this last 9:11 verse found in the last book of the bible is a final warning for those who refuse to receive the help God has brought to us now in Jesus.  To those who don't recognize the God of Israel's Messiah as King, Savior, and Lord, who is able to rescue us from all trial - they will instead chose to have the king of Sheol or death over them. 

Not calling on God in our trial is like refusing to dial 911 because unbelief gets in the way.  Utter foolishness!  The telephone system is designed to help - even if on occasion it proves faulty.  But remember, God set up a system to help us that trumps all others.  His system is perfect, and by His Word He always answers your call.