The B-I-B-L-E

“The Bible is one of the topmost selling books of all times. Currently, there are approximately 438 translations of the full Bible in various languages.” (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/worlds-best-selling-books-of-all-times.html)

In their list of best-selling-books, Wikipedia lists sales of the Bible at “between 2.5 billion and 6 billion”. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books)

The Bible is God’s guidebook; His roadmap for our walk of faith as we journey through life. God tells us in His word what He expects of us and He never asks us to do anything that contradicts His word.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. Psalm 119: 105

I have treasured [hidden] Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You. Psalm 119:11

The Bible tells us about sin, the consequences of sin but also tells us what we must do to be saved.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:13

Bible study is an essential part of spiritual growth. Scriptures are the milk of the word. Babies first drink milk and then proceed to solid food; the same is true of babes in Christ.

“…like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation…” 1 Peter 2:2

The Bible equips us to serve God; Ephesians 6:17 tells us the word of God is the “sword of the Spirit”. Philippians 4:8 tells us how to honor God:

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.

Commit yourself to reading the Bible daily. Challenge yourself to read through the Bible each year; http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

The Bible is an invaluable tool; these few paragraphs barely scratch the surface when considering the importance of the Bible to each of us. To simply say, it is God’s word, should be enough to convince anyone of the importance of becoming completely familiar with the Bible. It is a treasure waiting to be discovered and explored by you. Become passionate about the word of God…you’ll never regret doing so.

God Bless!

God Our Father

If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all His commands…blessings will come upon you and accompany you…
However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all His commands and decrees…curses will come upon you and overtake you… Deuteronomy 28:1, 2, 15

Deuteronomy 28 is divided into two parts: verses 1—14 record the promise of blessings for obeying the Lord our God while verses 5—68 warn us of the promise of curses for disobedience. This is only one of many places in the Bible which depicts, “Our Father who art in heaven…” as the ultimate parent.

As the ultimate parent—the original parent, the Creators loves; He protects and provides; He teaches; directs and leads us in the way that we should go; He encourages; He tells us repeatedly what He expects of us, in advance, and He lets us know the consequences of our actions. He blesses us when we follow and obey Him and He never rewards poor or unacceptable behavior. Lastly, as the ultimate parent, God never changes and He will not forsake His children; His word is final.

But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations. Psalm 33:11

Precious Lord, Loving Father, thank you for loving me and teaching me Your ways; I will forever love You and obey You. Amen.

God Bless!

Keep Your Eyes on God

“We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” 2 Chronicles 20:12b

Have you ever felt total despair? Have you ever felt completely defeated against an enemy, not knowing what to do or where to turn? 2 Chronicles 20 tells the story of such a situation. The answer: keep your eyes upon God; allow Him to fight for you.

The peoples of Moab, Ammon, and Mount Seir came up against Judah. When King Jehoshaphat heard this he immediately turned to God. What a great example for us to follow!

As individuals we may not have great armies come up against us, but we can experience enormous turmoil in our lives. Our personal problems can sometimes overwhelm us. What to do? Turn to God; fix your eyes upon Him. Give God complete dominion over your life and your troubles.

When Jehoshaphat was told of his approaching enemy, he was fearful and the first thing he did was to “set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (v. 3). Those with him, all of Judah, gathered together to seek the Lord; in other words, he enlisted those loyal to him to seek the Lord with him.

Jehoshaphat not only prayed before God, but he prayed with confidence, calling upon the strength of the Lord, knowing God alone could deliver him. Jehoshaphat knew he had no power to save himself but he trusted God completely, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the Lord God.

“O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?” (v. 6)

God replies to Jehoshaphat in verse 15 saying, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of the great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” Further, verse 17 records, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

Jehoshaphat went to the battlegrounds knowing the victory was his. So much so, he enlisted singers to go before the army saying, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever” (v. 21).

When Jehoshaphat and his army arrived at the battlegrounds the enemy was already dead…God had caused them to destroy one another (v. 23).

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God loves us. Call upon Him; have confidence in Him; give all your troubles to Him; keep your eyes fixed upon the Creator; He fights for you.

God Bless!

Mind Your Ways

“But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me.
So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.
“Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! Psalm 81:11-13 (NKJV)

Have you ever wanted something so badly, only to receive it and then immediately regret ever wanting it? Sometimes the Lord teaches us valuable lessons by allowing us to have our own way; to walk in our own counsel. This is a powerful lesson indeed, for we don’t always “want” what is best for us.

God giving us over or giving us up to our own wants and desires is a frightening thing. How terrible to walk in the wisdom of man rather than the wisdom and counsel of the Creator, the Almighty God!

Evidence that God sometimes punishes mankind by giving them up to their own stubbornness and arrogance is found in Romans 1:24-26 where we are told God gave them up to their own lusts, uncleanness, and vile passions. Where man follows his own way instead of God’s way tragedy ensues.

Let us settle the question in our hearts today; humble ourselves before God; repent of past sins and commit to walking in the ways God today and always. We have been assured that if we delight our hearts in the way of the Lord, He will bless us.

O my soul, you have said to the LORD,
“You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You.” Psalm 16:2

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:3-5

Dearest Lord, Forgive me my arrogance and stubbornness. I commit myself fully to You today; I pray I may always walk in Your way. Amen.

God Bless!

Seek God First; Seek God Always

2 Chronicles 14-16 tell us about Asa, King of Judah. Asa became king when his father Abijah died. Asa started out quite well for we are told that there was no war for the first ten years of his reign. Asa “did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord, his God” (14:2). Not only did Asa worship God, he also commanded Judah to “seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment” (14:4).

When after the tenth year of Asa’s reign, the Ethiopians came up to attack Judah with a million men, Asa cried out to the Lord saying, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!” (14:11)

Clearly, at this time Asa’s heart and faith in God were pure for he recognized the power of his God. Verse 13 records, “So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the Lord and His army.”

Azariah, a prophet of God tells Asa as long as he will seek God, God will be found by him, but if he forsakes God, then God will forsake him. Indeed, Asa remains true to God for many years; so much so chapter 15, verse 13 tells us anyone who did not seek God was put to death. Asa even removed his own mother from being queen mother because she had an “obscene image” (v.16) of Asherah.

Sadly, 2 Chronicles 16 records that in the thirty-sixth year of his reign, Asa seeks aid from the king of Syria instead of calling upon God. When told of his error, Asa, does not repent, but throws God’s prophet into prison. Later, when Asa becomes ill, he once again rejects God and seeks the help of man. Soon after, Asa dies.

The lesson for us is clear; we are to seek God first and always, (i.e., continuously). As long as we seek Him, He will be found by us. 2 Chronicles 16:9 tells us:

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

That is a powerful statement; a comforting statement. This is not just an outdated, Old Testament lesson, for Christ Jesus repeats this same lesson in the Sermon on the Mount when He teaches us in Matthew 7 to seek and we will find. James, the brother of Jesus, repeats the lesson in James 4:8 when he tells us to draw near to God and God will draw near to us.

Thank God for His infinite grace, mercy and love toward us! Amen!

God bless!

Help!

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.

Psalm 121:1-3 (NKJV)

My father used say, “Everybody needs a little help every now and then.” My dad was not an easy person; he was not a touchy-feely person. He was tough and rouged; a man’s man. But through this saying and through his actions he taught me to help others.

We should always extend a hand of love and friendship to those in need where it is within our power to help them but REAL power and might come from the Lord. 2 Chronicles 13 tells of how King Abijah (grandson of King Solomon) relied on the Lord to help him when he was completely outnumbered by those who would destroy Judah.

After the death of Solomon the kingdom of Israel split into a northern kingdom called Israel and the kingdom of Judah which was ruled by the descendants of David. Jeroboam was king of Israel and went to war against Abijah, king of Judah. 2 Chronicles 13:3 records Jeroboam had eight hundred thousand “choice men, mighty men of valor” while Abijah had an army of four hundred “valiant warriors” and “choice men”.

Outnumbered by two to one, what does Abijah do? He stands on a mountain side and delivers a scalding sermon to those fighting against him. Battle tacticians of today would call Abijah’s tactics lunacy; I call his stance faith and confidence in the Almighty Lord.

Abijah tells Israel (after calling them worthless-idol-worshiping-God-less-rogues) that Judah, has not forsaken the Lord their God (v.10), but have kept “the command of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him (v. 11).” Further, Abijah says, “Now look, God Himself is with us as our head...do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper! (v.12).”

(By the way, I should mention that verse 13 tells us that while Abijah was preaching to the army of Israel, they completely surrounded him and his army...not to worry...read on!)

What was the result of this complete reliance upon God? Verses 15 and 16 tell us “that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah and the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand.”

We do all need help, but the greatest malady from which men suffer cannot be abated by other men; it can only be healed through admitting the need for a Savior; repenting of sin; believing that Christ is the Son of God and accepting His gift of forgiveness; and confessing Christ as Lord.

You too can have the confidence of David and Abijah. You too can celebrate the knowledge and power that the One who keeps you does not sleep or slumber. You too can say that your help comes from the Lord; the Creator, who made the heavens and the earth. Accept Christ today…He’s waiting on you with open arms; ready to help.

God bless!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

You can find many interesting stories about the ark of the covenant throughout the Old Testament and indeed in many venues other than the Bible…even movies have been made featuring the ark and its power. But make no mistake, apart from God; the ark itself contained no power.

To the early Israelites, the ark was a symbol of God’s “physical” presence with them. If you read through 1 Samuel 4-7, you will find how the Israelites began to see the ark as something of a good luck charm. They began to value the ark instead of esteeming and valuing their great and awesome God. They forgot without God, the ark was merely an ornate box. As a result, the Israelites were defeated and the ark stolen by the Philistines…who of course, regretted taking it right away. (1 Samuel 5 is a favorite.) After enduring much tragedy, the Philistines return the ark to the land of Israel, specifically, Kiriath-jearim, in Judah.

Now fast-forward several years to 1 Chronicles 13. This begins the story of King David bringing the ark to Jerusalem. Verses 2-4 record:

David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is from the LORD our God, let us send everywhere to our kinsmen who remain in all the land of Israel, also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, that they may meet with us; and let us bring back the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul." Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

Unfortunately, disaster ensues because in the rush of enthusiasm to move the ark, the commandments of God are ignored. How easily we forget, man following his own plan creates chaos and disaster; but when man follows God’s plan, God brings triumph and blessing.

“When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it. The anger of the LORD burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.” 1 Chronicles 13:9-10

Verse 11 says that “David became angry because of the LORD'S outburst against Uzza”. Other translations use the words “offended” and “indignant” instead of angry. I can imagine David as the petulant child saying to his parent, “What’d I do wrong?”

But not to worry for the lesson was meaningful for David because verse 12 records, “David was afraid of God that day”. David learns he must respect, not neglect, God and God’s commandments. God demands and deserves preeminence in our lives. We are to look to Him for guidance; His plan is always the right plan.

1 Chronicles 15 reveals David’s change of attitude in regard to the word of God; David’s love, fear, and respect of God and God’s commandments are recorded. Verses 2 and 13 of that chapter say:

Then David said, "No one is to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for the LORD chose them to carry the ark of God and to minister to Him forever."

"Because you did not carry it at the first, the LORD our God made an outburst on us, for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance."

Seek God first! God is Creator; He is LORD of all; He is I Am. He is, He was, He always will be.

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." Deuteronomy 7:9

God Bless!