Devotions 6/21/21

Don’t know if I should go to e. r. right away as it will take forever to get things done with my doctor. I like that office less and less now to be honest. Feels like they care that I make another appointment more than actually wondering what’s going on with me…!

This one will have three seemingly random verses, from three different books of the bible:

They collectively will come from Proverbs, Isaiah, and one verse from Psalms. The latter will be the main verse!

In all things, who should we put our full trust in? Can we stop shouting about nonsense and know there is something beyond all our understanding…?

And who can help us in times of trouble? Real problems. “Good” people? Maybe something like the “Man upstairs?”

It’s easy to think that something like “that” is too far away to help us. We have long ago made ourselves so corrupt with sin since Adam’s fall.

Should we see God as something high in the clouds or accessible to ones here and now? Too often the former is portrayed more often in media like tv shows where God is either inaccessible or even that He is not like the God those Christian people claim and portray a blasphemous version: Did God make a mistake when He did things? Or how about if God is really holy, or is He just some “jerk” like the rest of us…?

We always with harsh statements like that will actually reflect the person’s heart. Can we claim something like that is true….? It isn’t because it is not the God of truth in the bible.

We must let go of our old assumptions about the God who cares and deeply loves us and not only showed that by giving us His Son as a sacrifice for our sin but He will guide us through anything even if it a times “feels” like he isn’t there…!

We must remember that He is God. Feelings come and go but He is still the same!

He is God, of all else we should let go like what we thought God was before we knew Him…. even things from the past we might keep thinking could possibly still be true but goes against the knowledge of God’s Word.

To follow God’s Word is serious stuff, ladies and gents!

For example I once had a belief that went against God’s Word (I will share more on that on a future “testimony” about trusting in something that is not us or other beliefs). Was it an interesting idea? Yes. But was it really “truth“…? Umm….. yeah it wasn’t, haha….

It is hard to trust in something that doesn’t seem to really be there. You have to find it first in your heart by the love of Jesus.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart Proverbs 3:5

We can’t just go halfway with trust. I’ve done that before. I have had personal, let’s say, “comfortabilities” where I thought in a way, But I kinda still like my old self; I don’t want to completely abandon it!

That is an example of the heart not wanting to trust… and that is not good.

We must believe that what he’s got is all we, in a way, will need!

You might stay poor though. There may still be challenges within the church body and with people’s lives. Don’t believe people on the tv that say we will blessed with riches if we follow Christ.

That is a sinful trap by the televangelists. They also avoid talking about sin too (most of them anyway, not all…!)

What Christ died for is not just for he world but for the sin of the people within it. Not just some sins or the only ones we think are accessible… but all sin!

And if we put our full trust in God’s Son He will take care of us. Like a path we have yet to have trodden, it is a new one! but it will be worht it if you follow Him and this new path.

I am he who will sustain you. Isaiah 46:4

If we believe that God not only died for what people claim He died for we also must remember He died for your sin as well.

And yes, all of it. How comforting just is the thought of that!

Your very sin in your heart Jesus loved you so much He died for it too. Because He deeply loves with a love that is more than skin deep.

And don’t listen to the seeming bunch of Christians that will judge and make statements that are rocky. They do bring at least conviction but to shout that people are going to hell before ones get to see what they are like is not right.

I believe that if a person condemns a sinner before they get to know them deserves hell just as much as the person that they are judging!

Ones must first love before they will seek out ones in His love.

But ones who struggle must also know that assumptions they have about the Christian faith must also know they could be assumptions or just how the world sees them.

We must not think we know what the church is actually before we actually get to understand what “houses” it.

Which all in all it houses the holy spirit. It is something so mysterious but given to all people long ago because of what Jesus said would be left to impact not just His people the Jewish but the Gentiles and the non-believers.

It was left firstly for the first ones to want to know Him.

So what does the church have?

Do you want to find out today? It is love. A love beyond all human understanding.

We must be quiet and know that He could one day have us as a part of Him and a part of His Way:

Be still and know that I am God ~Psalm 46:10

Do you want to know that He is God today…?

Let’s pray:

Father God, the way you have been portrayed the past many years I realize was strange. But I think I understand the truth. Can you really show me a way that I can follow now? I want this holy spirit in my life. I realize it was left because after Jesus died on the cross for my sin, it was left for the people after Jesus left the earth bodily. He died on the cross because he not only loved the world but also ME TOO. I want to live for You totally and fully. I want to trust in You with all my heart and accept this gift because I want to live for You and only You and not what I used to think of. And I know now Jesus was here but He is one day coming again. Help me live my life. Thank you Jesus. Amen.

Have you prayed that prayer? May you be proud of what Jesus has done in your life today! Thank you Lord for the privilege of prayer… 🙂 God bless you.

Devotions Psalm 3- 6/1/21

Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah Psalm 3:8 NKJV

Here is the end of Psalm 3. (Wow, it’s really the end of 3..?? I will check to make sure… yep, haha!) It seems to give a beautiful send off to the “Song” or ‘Psalm’ which here it is about the Lord and tough stuff and just seeing the wonderful power and love from the Lord.

Have you ever seen police, firefighters, or just emergency workers in the middle of situations? In tough stuff, even in danger, but they were still out there in the “fire” or living against what even their selves would normally be against?

In so many ways, that is Jesus! It was Christ who went and died for not just people who were physically hurting but for altogether the sum of the people who would die with no hope.

No chance of being saved? For mankind if they were tested, there was a 0% chance of heaven. That is horrifying even if you even just start to think about it!

So Jesus was kind of like a firefighter. He saw no hope in the situation, saw that if He did nothing, people would perish in the fire (hell) and went in and saved.

Did Jesus die in that fire? No. He had the world’s evil laid on him and took the wrath of God on Himself. But then He rose again, showing that even in eternal punishment Jesus had power over death!

Did he rescue people from the fire? Yes He did. In two different ways though (maybe I will get tot hat part in a future article. Right now if I did this article would get theologically heavy and I want to keep it in simple words for this time) but before I digress, yes he pulled people from the fire.

The “fire” being eternal punishment. Eternal and the “Second Death,” which is if someone is eternally separate from God’s love.

To be like a loving female bird and try to draw all people towards the parent and yet be rejected by so many was heart-breaking to Jesus. He loved everyone! Yet people still rejected the love that existed not just in Himself but as he would say the “Father” who he always wanted to glorify, especially if He was praised for something Himself!

It is good to if you are a Christian to glorify God and Jesus and not yourself. Boy have I got stories about being prideful! Gosh… awful.

I once was writing a big movie project and kept saying over and over “It’s amazing what I will do for you…” Oh, man. That’s terrible.

I should have kept in mind it was the Lord that brought all those things together. I was the messenger to deliver a story. It was Jesus working though me, and not myself!

Over the years though I am slowly learning to be humble and not the opposite (though pride grows in me yet again and again).

One time I happened to be wearing a shirt at work that looked like I was a lifeguard. I said in sharing though a brief bit about the subject when asked about it “I am a Christian and this shirt means something like this: Jesus is my lifeguard.”.

Jesus can pull people out of horrible worlds. He can rescue people from lives of thievery, deep and self-abating from pornography, “unaccountable” lives, people who think the only thing they can do in life to “live” is to be on drugs, struggling ones who think God doesn’t love them because they simply struggle in general, the “criers”, the easily emotional, the ones hopelessly and seeming ceaselessly depressed, the ones in deep regret because they changed but realize the change was now permanent, the ones who not only can’t afford a home- but to live every day and have food…. God can bring people to a loving state in their lives and “rescue” those people spiritually!

God can and He does because He is awesome!

He not only loves and is love but He impacts lives so personally You will be surprised the day He does.

God is blessed if we have things to share with others especially if it is to tell others of the faith because of the giving of Christ’s life.

If you’re hurting because of mistakes you’ve made, know that no matter what God still loves you! He loves you no matter what has happened.

He loves you every day. All He asks is simply to know Him by an intimate relationship through Jesus Christ.

And He can save you from the “fire” today!

Pray like this if you feel led:

Lord, I am so sorry about what has happened in these past few days months, maybe more. I realize that God your love is deeper than I thought. You really gave Your life through Your Son so that You could place Your wrath onto Him? I realize that God sending His son to die from the world’s sins is such a huge thought. But I realize He died even for my sin as well! I thank You for the chance to know Him. I pray that I will experience this new life to follow You. Please be in my life and live in my for the rest of mine. Thank you for learning that Jesus really died and then He rose again. I want to experience that life in and through Christ.

Amen. Thank you for the privilege of prayer.

If you prayed I hope Jesus is now your lifeguard. And one day you will live for Him in ways you never thought possible!