1 Then God gave the people all these instructions:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
3 “You must not have any other god but me.
4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You must not murder.
14 “You must not commit adultery.
15 “You must not steal.
16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
18 When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.
19 And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”
21 As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
the cost of disobedience
Deuteronomy 28 15 “But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you:
16 Your towns and your fields
will be cursed.
17 Your fruit baskets and breadboards
will be cursed.
18 Your children and your crops
will be cursed.
The offspring of your herds and flocks
will be cursed.
19 Wherever you go and whatever you do,
you will be cursed.
20 “The Lord himself will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in everything you do, until at last you are completely destroyed for doing evil and abandoning me. 21 The Lord will afflict you with diseases until none of you are left in the land you are about to enter and occupy. 22 The Lord will strike you with wasting diseases, fever, and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew. These disasters will pursue you until you die. 23 The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron. 24 The Lord will change the rain that falls on your land into powder, and dust will pour down from the sky until you are destroyed.
25 “The Lord will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will attack your enemies from one direction, but you will scatter from them in seven! You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 Your corpses will be food for all the scavenging birds and wild animals, and no one will be there to chase them away.
27 “The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, scurvy, and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. 28 The Lord will strike you with madness, blindness, and panic. 29 You will grope around in broad daylight like a blind person groping in the darkness, but you will not find your way. You will be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will come to save you.
30 “You will be engaged to a woman, but another man will sleep with her. You will build a house, but someone else will live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will never enjoy its fruit. 31 Your ox will be butchered before your eyes, but you will not eat a single bite of the meat. Your donkey will be taken from you, never to be returned. Your sheep and goats will be given to your enemies, and no one will be there to help you. 32 You will watch as your sons and daughters are taken away as slaves. Your heart will break for them, but you won’t be able to help them. 33 A foreign nation you have never heard about will eat the crops you worked so hard to grow. You will suffer under constant oppression and harsh treatment. 34 You will go mad because of all the tragedy you see around you. 35 The Lord will cover your knees and legs with incurable boils. In fact, you will be covered from head to foot.
36 “The Lord will exile you and your king to a nation unknown to you and your ancestors. There in exile you will worship gods of wood and stone! 37 You will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which the Lord sends you.
38 “You will plant much but harvest little, for locusts will eat your crops. 39 You will plant vineyards and care for them, but you will not drink the wine or eat the grapes, for worms will destroy the vines. 40 You will grow olive trees throughout your land, but you will never use the olive oil, for the fruit will drop before it ripens. 41 You will have sons and daughters, but you will lose them, for they will be led away into captivity. 42 Swarms of insects will destroy your trees and crops.
43 “The foreigners living among you will become stronger and stronger, while you become weaker and weaker. 44 They will lend money to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, and you will be the tail!
45 “If you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and to obey the commands and decrees he has given you, all these curses will pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed. 46 These horrors will serve as a sign and warning among you and your descendants forever. 47 If you do not serve the Lord your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, 48 you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking in everything. The Lord will put an iron yoke on your neck, oppressing you harshly until he has destroyed you.
49 “The Lord will bring a distant nation against you from the end of the earth, and it will swoop down on you like a vulture. It is a nation whose language you do not understand, 50 a fierce and heartless nation that shows no respect for the old and no pity for the young. 51 Its armies will devour your livestock and crops, and you will be destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, olive oil, calves, or lambs, and you will starve to death. 52 They will attack your cities until all the fortified walls in your land—the walls you trusted to protect you—are knocked down. They will attack all the towns in the land the Lord your God has given you.
53 “The siege and terrible distress of the enemy’s attack will be so severe that you will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters, whom the Lord your God has given you. 54 The most tenderhearted man among you will have no compassion for his own brother, his beloved wife, and his surviving children. 55 He will refuse to share with them the flesh he is devouring—the flesh of one of his own children—because he has nothing else to eat during the siege and terrible distress that your enemy will inflict on all your towns. 56 The most tender and delicate woman among you—so delicate she would not so much as touch the ground with her foot—will be selfish toward the husband she loves and toward her own son or daughter. 57 She will hide from them the afterbirth and the new baby she has borne, so that she herself can secretly eat them. She will have nothing else to eat during the siege and terrible distress that your enemy will inflict on all your towns.
58 “If you refuse to obey all the words of instruction that are written in this book, and if you do not fear the glorious and awesome name of the Lord your God, 59 then the Lord will overwhelm you and your children with indescribable plagues. These plagues will be intense and without relief, making you miserable and unbearably sick. 60 He will afflict you with all the diseases of Egypt that you feared so much, and you will have no relief. 61 The Lord will afflict you with every sickness and plague there is, even those not mentioned in this Book of Instruction, until you are destroyed. 62 Though you become as numerous as the stars in the sky, few of you will be left because you would not listen to the Lord your God.
63 “Just as the Lord has found great pleasure in causing you to prosper and multiply, the Lord will find pleasure in destroying you. You will be torn from the land you are about to enter and occupy. 64 For the Lord will scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship foreign gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods made of wood and stone! 65 There among those nations you will find no peace or place to rest. And the Lord will cause your heart to tremble, your eyesight to fail, and your soul to despair. 66 Your life will constantly hang in the balance. You will live night and day in fear, unsure if you will survive. 67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were night!’ And in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’ For you will be terrified by the awful horrors you see around you. 68 Then the Lord will send you back to Egypt in ships, to a destination I promised you would never see again. There you will offer to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves, but no one will buy you.”
16 Your towns and your fields
will be cursed.
17 Your fruit baskets and breadboards
will be cursed.
18 Your children and your crops
will be cursed.
The offspring of your herds and flocks
will be cursed.
19 Wherever you go and whatever you do,
you will be cursed.
20 “The Lord himself will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in everything you do, until at last you are completely destroyed for doing evil and abandoning me. 21 The Lord will afflict you with diseases until none of you are left in the land you are about to enter and occupy. 22 The Lord will strike you with wasting diseases, fever, and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew. These disasters will pursue you until you die. 23 The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron. 24 The Lord will change the rain that falls on your land into powder, and dust will pour down from the sky until you are destroyed.
25 “The Lord will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will attack your enemies from one direction, but you will scatter from them in seven! You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 Your corpses will be food for all the scavenging birds and wild animals, and no one will be there to chase them away.
27 “The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, scurvy, and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. 28 The Lord will strike you with madness, blindness, and panic. 29 You will grope around in broad daylight like a blind person groping in the darkness, but you will not find your way. You will be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will come to save you.
30 “You will be engaged to a woman, but another man will sleep with her. You will build a house, but someone else will live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will never enjoy its fruit. 31 Your ox will be butchered before your eyes, but you will not eat a single bite of the meat. Your donkey will be taken from you, never to be returned. Your sheep and goats will be given to your enemies, and no one will be there to help you. 32 You will watch as your sons and daughters are taken away as slaves. Your heart will break for them, but you won’t be able to help them. 33 A foreign nation you have never heard about will eat the crops you worked so hard to grow. You will suffer under constant oppression and harsh treatment. 34 You will go mad because of all the tragedy you see around you. 35 The Lord will cover your knees and legs with incurable boils. In fact, you will be covered from head to foot.
36 “The Lord will exile you and your king to a nation unknown to you and your ancestors. There in exile you will worship gods of wood and stone! 37 You will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which the Lord sends you.
38 “You will plant much but harvest little, for locusts will eat your crops. 39 You will plant vineyards and care for them, but you will not drink the wine or eat the grapes, for worms will destroy the vines. 40 You will grow olive trees throughout your land, but you will never use the olive oil, for the fruit will drop before it ripens. 41 You will have sons and daughters, but you will lose them, for they will be led away into captivity. 42 Swarms of insects will destroy your trees and crops.
43 “The foreigners living among you will become stronger and stronger, while you become weaker and weaker. 44 They will lend money to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, and you will be the tail!
45 “If you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and to obey the commands and decrees he has given you, all these curses will pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed. 46 These horrors will serve as a sign and warning among you and your descendants forever. 47 If you do not serve the Lord your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, 48 you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking in everything. The Lord will put an iron yoke on your neck, oppressing you harshly until he has destroyed you.
49 “The Lord will bring a distant nation against you from the end of the earth, and it will swoop down on you like a vulture. It is a nation whose language you do not understand, 50 a fierce and heartless nation that shows no respect for the old and no pity for the young. 51 Its armies will devour your livestock and crops, and you will be destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, olive oil, calves, or lambs, and you will starve to death. 52 They will attack your cities until all the fortified walls in your land—the walls you trusted to protect you—are knocked down. They will attack all the towns in the land the Lord your God has given you.
53 “The siege and terrible distress of the enemy’s attack will be so severe that you will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters, whom the Lord your God has given you. 54 The most tenderhearted man among you will have no compassion for his own brother, his beloved wife, and his surviving children. 55 He will refuse to share with them the flesh he is devouring—the flesh of one of his own children—because he has nothing else to eat during the siege and terrible distress that your enemy will inflict on all your towns. 56 The most tender and delicate woman among you—so delicate she would not so much as touch the ground with her foot—will be selfish toward the husband she loves and toward her own son or daughter. 57 She will hide from them the afterbirth and the new baby she has borne, so that she herself can secretly eat them. She will have nothing else to eat during the siege and terrible distress that your enemy will inflict on all your towns.
58 “If you refuse to obey all the words of instruction that are written in this book, and if you do not fear the glorious and awesome name of the Lord your God, 59 then the Lord will overwhelm you and your children with indescribable plagues. These plagues will be intense and without relief, making you miserable and unbearably sick. 60 He will afflict you with all the diseases of Egypt that you feared so much, and you will have no relief. 61 The Lord will afflict you with every sickness and plague there is, even those not mentioned in this Book of Instruction, until you are destroyed. 62 Though you become as numerous as the stars in the sky, few of you will be left because you would not listen to the Lord your God.
63 “Just as the Lord has found great pleasure in causing you to prosper and multiply, the Lord will find pleasure in destroying you. You will be torn from the land you are about to enter and occupy. 64 For the Lord will scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship foreign gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods made of wood and stone! 65 There among those nations you will find no peace or place to rest. And the Lord will cause your heart to tremble, your eyesight to fail, and your soul to despair. 66 Your life will constantly hang in the balance. You will live night and day in fear, unsure if you will survive. 67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were night!’ And in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’ For you will be terrified by the awful horrors you see around you. 68 Then the Lord will send you back to Egypt in ships, to a destination I promised you would never see again. There you will offer to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves, but no one will buy you.”
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
blessings from obedience
Deuteronomy 28 “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. 2 You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God:
3 Your towns and your fields
will be blessed.
4 Your children and your crops
will be blessed.
The offspring of your herds and flocks
will be blessed.
5 Your fruit baskets and breadboards
will be blessed.
6 Wherever you go and whatever you do,
you will be blessed.
7 “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!
8 “The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
9 “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. 10 Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you.
11 “The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. 12 The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. 13 If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. 14 You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.
3 Your towns and your fields
will be blessed.
4 Your children and your crops
will be blessed.
The offspring of your herds and flocks
will be blessed.
5 Your fruit baskets and breadboards
will be blessed.
6 Wherever you go and whatever you do,
you will be blessed.
7 “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!
8 “The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
9 “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. 10 Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you.
11 “The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. 12 The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. 13 If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. 14 You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.
Friday, January 21, 2011
value of life...
what would you say is the value of a life...
here is what is so amazing about people... we kill every day and think nothing of it... many people kill with guns or their hands.. some people kill through abortion.. many times parents force this on their children thinking they are doing the right thing for them, then the child suffers the mental anguish for the rest of their lives... although many don't want to feel that is murder.. the bible says that only God has power over life and death...
yet when someone in our lives dies... we act like the world ended... after many of us have killed repeatedly... how do we determine what is a life to save and what is a life to kill...
many of us believe in the death penalty... didn't God say, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.. didn't the bible tell of the many times that a man should be killed by stoning or whatever for his deeds or rebellion... again... how do we determine what is a life to save and what is a life to kill...
what about those people who desire to die.. think repeatedly about killing themselves.. because they are overwhelmed... or they feel unworthy... or they feel unloveable... or they feel to tired to go on... what is it inside them that causes them to not see how much God loves them..
why can we not understand that EVERY life is a gift from God.. not every person serves God.. not every person does what is right and pure and good.. does that make God value them less... the bible says that God looks not upon the countenance of a man.. but upon the heart of a man... many people who we would consider evil or unrighteous have a good heart... some of the purest hearts I have ever seen have never been within the church walls.. many drug dealers have a pure heart... a servants heart... many of them give money to fatherless children.. to women who are raising children without a man to help... does this make them a worth less person because they have been shown that street money is easier than job money... is their serving worth less than that of a man or woman who goes to church..
only God can determine the value of a life...
here is what is so amazing about people... we kill every day and think nothing of it... many people kill with guns or their hands.. some people kill through abortion.. many times parents force this on their children thinking they are doing the right thing for them, then the child suffers the mental anguish for the rest of their lives... although many don't want to feel that is murder.. the bible says that only God has power over life and death...
yet when someone in our lives dies... we act like the world ended... after many of us have killed repeatedly... how do we determine what is a life to save and what is a life to kill...
many of us believe in the death penalty... didn't God say, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.. didn't the bible tell of the many times that a man should be killed by stoning or whatever for his deeds or rebellion... again... how do we determine what is a life to save and what is a life to kill...
what about those people who desire to die.. think repeatedly about killing themselves.. because they are overwhelmed... or they feel unworthy... or they feel unloveable... or they feel to tired to go on... what is it inside them that causes them to not see how much God loves them..
why can we not understand that EVERY life is a gift from God.. not every person serves God.. not every person does what is right and pure and good.. does that make God value them less... the bible says that God looks not upon the countenance of a man.. but upon the heart of a man... many people who we would consider evil or unrighteous have a good heart... some of the purest hearts I have ever seen have never been within the church walls.. many drug dealers have a pure heart... a servants heart... many of them give money to fatherless children.. to women who are raising children without a man to help... does this make them a worth less person because they have been shown that street money is easier than job money... is their serving worth less than that of a man or woman who goes to church..
only God can determine the value of a life...
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Psalms 2
1 Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? 2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. 3 “Let us break their chains,” they cry,“and free ourselves from slavery to God.”
4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. 6 For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”
7 The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. 8 Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. 9 You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’”
10 Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth!
11 Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!
4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. 6 For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”
7 The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. 8 Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. 9 You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’”
10 Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth!
11 Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Psalms 45 (this part is for me)
10 Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your family far away. 11 For your royal husband delights in your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.
12 The prince of Tyre will shower you with gifts. The wealthy will beg your favor. 13 The bride, a princess, looks glorious in her golden gown.
14 In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king, accompanied by her bridesmaids. 15 What a joyful and enthusiastic procession as they enter the king’s palace!
16 Your sons will become kings like their father. You will make them rulers over many lands. 17 I will bring honor to your name in every generation.
Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.
12 The prince of Tyre will shower you with gifts. The wealthy will beg your favor. 13 The bride, a princess, looks glorious in her golden gown.
14 In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king, accompanied by her bridesmaids. 15 What a joyful and enthusiastic procession as they enter the king’s palace!
16 Your sons will become kings like their father. You will make them rulers over many lands. 17 I will bring honor to your name in every generation.
Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Psalms 45
1 My heart bursts its banks, spilling beauty and goodness. I pour it out in a poem to the king, shaping the river into words:
2-4 "You're the handsomest of men; every word from your lips is sheer grace, and God has blessed you, blessed you so much. Strap your sword to your side, warrior! Accept praise! Accept due honor! Ride majestically! Ride triumphantly! Ride on the side of truth! Ride for the righteous meek!
4-5 "Your instructions are glow-in-the-dark; you shoot sharp arrows Into enemy hearts; the king's foes lie down in the dust, beaten.
6-7 "Your throne is God's throne, ever and always; The scepter of your royal rule measures right living. You love the right and hate the wrong. And that is why God, your very own God, poured fragrant oil on your head, Marking you out as king from among your dear companions.
8-9 "Your ozone-drenched garments are fragrant with mountain breeze. Chamber music—from the throne room—makes you want to dance. Kings' daughters are maids in your court, the Bride glittering with golden jewelry.
2-4 "You're the handsomest of men; every word from your lips is sheer grace, and God has blessed you, blessed you so much. Strap your sword to your side, warrior! Accept praise! Accept due honor! Ride majestically! Ride triumphantly! Ride on the side of truth! Ride for the righteous meek!
4-5 "Your instructions are glow-in-the-dark; you shoot sharp arrows Into enemy hearts; the king's foes lie down in the dust, beaten.
6-7 "Your throne is God's throne, ever and always; The scepter of your royal rule measures right living. You love the right and hate the wrong. And that is why God, your very own God, poured fragrant oil on your head, Marking you out as king from among your dear companions.
8-9 "Your ozone-drenched garments are fragrant with mountain breeze. Chamber music—from the throne room—makes you want to dance. Kings' daughters are maids in your court, the Bride glittering with golden jewelry.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Genesis 11:6 “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”
can you imagine if we would all become united in the upbuilding of the kingdom of God.. united in the salvation of the lost... united in showing love to all mankind...
God himself stated... the people are united and they all speak the same language, after this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them.
God said that... so if we were to come together.. to lay aside our own petty greivances and the things that WE think should be going on.. and walk in submission to the men of God that God himself has placed in leadership.. just imagine what an amazing move of God would occur in our community...
unity is power from God...
can you imagine if we would all become united in the upbuilding of the kingdom of God.. united in the salvation of the lost... united in showing love to all mankind...
God himself stated... the people are united and they all speak the same language, after this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them.
God said that... so if we were to come together.. to lay aside our own petty greivances and the things that WE think should be going on.. and walk in submission to the men of God that God himself has placed in leadership.. just imagine what an amazing move of God would occur in our community...
unity is power from God...
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
dead birds and fish...
well I am a firm believer as the word says.. there is nothing new under the sun.. anything that is happening.. has already happened or been thought of...
as I do not normally read or watch any news... I today found out about dead birds everywhere and apparently fish too... so as is my answer to everything.. I go searching the bible... and this is the scripture I find...
Zephaniah 1: 3 “I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea— and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.” “When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth,” declares the LORD, 4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place, the very names of the idolatrous priests— 5 those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the LORD and who also swear by Molek, 6 those who turn back from following the LORD and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him.” 7 Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near. The LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.
the bible tells us that the most irritating thing in the world to God is for us to put something or someone above Him... I think most of us tend to put ourselves before God.. not that we don't love Him and worship Him... but when it comes to a choice of us being uncomfortable or ridiculed or whatever it is... we will tell God.. surely you don't expect THAT from me... what will people say?
God couldn't care less what people say.. the One we truly need to be obedient to foremost is the voice of the Lord...
as birds are falling out of the sky.. and fish are dead in the water... I suggest we truly examine ourselves and determine if we are truly following what God wants us to do... I would prefer to be invited to the sacrifice as one of the ones that the Lord has invited and consecrated.. surely not one of the ones to be sacrificed for idolotry and disobedience...
as I do not normally read or watch any news... I today found out about dead birds everywhere and apparently fish too... so as is my answer to everything.. I go searching the bible... and this is the scripture I find...
Zephaniah 1: 3 “I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea— and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.” “When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth,” declares the LORD, 4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place, the very names of the idolatrous priests— 5 those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the LORD and who also swear by Molek, 6 those who turn back from following the LORD and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him.” 7 Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near. The LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.
the bible tells us that the most irritating thing in the world to God is for us to put something or someone above Him... I think most of us tend to put ourselves before God.. not that we don't love Him and worship Him... but when it comes to a choice of us being uncomfortable or ridiculed or whatever it is... we will tell God.. surely you don't expect THAT from me... what will people say?
God couldn't care less what people say.. the One we truly need to be obedient to foremost is the voice of the Lord...
as birds are falling out of the sky.. and fish are dead in the water... I suggest we truly examine ourselves and determine if we are truly following what God wants us to do... I would prefer to be invited to the sacrifice as one of the ones that the Lord has invited and consecrated.. surely not one of the ones to be sacrificed for idolotry and disobedience...
Monday, January 3, 2011
my most recent sin...
recently... I went to lunch with two other women... and before I knew it... I was saying things that I had no business saying... not necessarily mean comments.. not lies... just things that didn't need to be said... they were in no way edifying... and certainly did not need to be said...
and after I went home the Lord really began to deal with me... now I am thinking that the women I was with never gave another thought to what was said... as I said.. it wasn't gossip... it wasn't talking about something going on in someone else's life... but God was talking to me about what someone who did not know Jesus might see in the conversation... someone who didn't know me or anyone else that was with me... would I have been perceived as a child of Christ? as a servant of the most High God? or would I look like anyone else that lives as they please... not living for God...
Father I need your help with my tongue... I do not seem to have the ability to stop this altogether... and while I know that I speak far better than I used to.. I still have such a long way to go... change my heart and my mind O God so that my thoughts about others are pure.. for if I think pure.. I will speak pure... help me to see in others what You see in them... change me Lord... in Jesus name I ask.. amen.amen.amen. I thank you in advance for Your answer to my prayer... I praise you for Your faithfulness to me when I do not deserve it... I love you Lord... truly...
and after I went home the Lord really began to deal with me... now I am thinking that the women I was with never gave another thought to what was said... as I said.. it wasn't gossip... it wasn't talking about something going on in someone else's life... but God was talking to me about what someone who did not know Jesus might see in the conversation... someone who didn't know me or anyone else that was with me... would I have been perceived as a child of Christ? as a servant of the most High God? or would I look like anyone else that lives as they please... not living for God...
Father I need your help with my tongue... I do not seem to have the ability to stop this altogether... and while I know that I speak far better than I used to.. I still have such a long way to go... change my heart and my mind O God so that my thoughts about others are pure.. for if I think pure.. I will speak pure... help me to see in others what You see in them... change me Lord... in Jesus name I ask.. amen.amen.amen. I thank you in advance for Your answer to my prayer... I praise you for Your faithfulness to me when I do not deserve it... I love you Lord... truly...
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