Posts Tagged ‘religion’

Spiritual Training 18 December 2012

Posted: December 18, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Romans 4:6-8 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works.  “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man shoes sin the Lord will never count against him.”  

What can we do to get rid of guilt? King David was guilty of terrible sins-adultery, murder, lying, and yet he experienced the joy of forgiveness.

Lets Bring it Home: We too can have this joy when we

(1) quit denying our guilt and recognize that we have sinned

(2) admit our guilt to God and ask for his forgiveness, and

(3) let go of our guilt and believe that God has forgiven us.

This can be difficult when a sin has taken root and grown over many years, when it is very serious, or when it involves others.  We must remember that Jesus is willing and able to forgive every sin.  In view of the tremendous price he paid on the cross, it is arrogant to think that any of our sins are too great for him to cover.  Even though our faith is weak, our conscience is sensitive, and our memory haunts us,

God’s Word declares that sins confessed are sins forgiven.

Proverbs 17:26 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 17, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 17, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 17:26 It is not good to punish an innocent man, or to flog officials for their integrity. 

Wisdom knows right and wrong. Here are two political errors of civil government that should be known by men of understanding. Though the world corrupts right and wrong, it is your duty and privilege to know the difference and never compromise true justice.

Child rebellion is terrible, ruining the parent-child relationship, as the previous proverb declared (Pr 17:25: A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him). But there are two related evils involving civil government that are also terrible. It is an error when a nation’s rulers punish just and righteous citizens. And it is wrong for citizens to rise up against leaders for doing their rightful job of enforcing justice and righteousness – equity. Both rulers and ruled are obligated to God.

The opening adverb “also” indicates a comparison to the preceding proverb (Pr 17:25). As disobedient children disrupt the home and destroy parents, so a breakdown in civil authority disrupts and destroys cities and nations. The adverb teaches wisdom. The first authority met in life is that of parents. If they are disregarded or their God-given power is not enforced, children enter into life with perverted values and rebellion in their hearts.

It is not good to punish the just. When a government legislates or executes laws that hurt upright citizens, it is not good. The expression “not good” is the figure of speech meiosis, a deliberate understatement that is clearly understood by the context and/or the nature of the matter (Pr 16:29; 18:5; 20:23; Ps 51:17; Ezek 36:31). Rulers punishing just citizens is far worse than merely “not good”; it is an abomination to the LORD (Pr 17:15).

What is equity? It is fair, just, and righteous judgment (Pr 1:3; 2:9; Ps 98:9; 99:4). But when rulers make equitable judgments, one party to a controversy is commended and the other is condemned. It is an abomination for those under authority to strike back at their rulers for doing the job God gave them to do. The proverb condemns two perversions of authority – rulers punishing good citizens, and the ruled rebelling against good rulers.

God made rulers a terror to evil men, not good men (Rom 13:1-6; I Pet 2:13-17). Abraham appealed to this virtue of God (Gen 18:25). Rulers abuse their authority and will be punished by God, when they are a terror to good men (Pr 17:15; 24:23-26; Ex 23:7; Deut 27:25). He took Egypt’s wealth, for their violent abuse of the Israelites. He sent dogs to eat Queen Jezebel, because she had Naboth killed for his vineyard. What will He do to America for murdering unborn children for the convenience of whore mothers?

God ordained civil government. It has nothing to do with any conspiracy anywhere. If you speak or fight against political rulers without a divine mandate, you are opposing God Himself (Rom 13:1-6; I Pet 2:13-17; Job 34:16-19). The Lord considers you a brute beast needing to be destroyed (II Pet 2:10-12; Jude 1:8-10). If you even associate with such men, your calamitous ruin is coming soon (Pr 24:21-22). Jesus and Paul showed honor to rulers abusing their authority (Matt 26:62-64; John 18:22-23; Acts 23:1-5).

Every ruler and government had better examine their laws and practices as to how they affect the righteous, because the blessed God of heaven will not countenance any unjust treatment of them. He will aggressively defend the poor, helpless, and godly (Eccl 5:8; Ps 2:10-12; 12:5; 68:5; 82:1; 105:13-15; Is 10:5-19). Though others may tremble before your presence and power, there is a God in heaven that is not moved in the slightest by any king! Just ask Sennacherib, Belshazzar, Alexander, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, or others!

Every citizen in every nation should humble himself under the authorities God has appointed. No matter how much you may dislike them, God put them in their office over you. You expect your children to obey and honor you, even when you are a bad example or do a poor job of parenting; and God expects you to obey your princes, even if they are privately wicked or enact and enforce laws that make little sense and cost you. God even condemns the cursing of a king in your private and personal thoughts (Eccl 10:20)!

Disobedience to parents is a mark of a reprobate society and of carnal Christianity (Rom 1:30; II Tim 3:2). Ben Spock and Jim Dobson helped corrupt child training in America, but godly parents still follow the only inspired child training manual (Ps 119:128; Is 8:20; I Tim 6:3-5,20-21). Parents must vigorously enforce the authority God has given them, lest their children rise up in rebellion against God’s other appointed spheres of authority and overthrow the foundations of society (Pr 22:15; 29:15; Ps 82:1-8).

There is no perfect authority among men. But imperfect authority in the five spheres God ordained can lead to happy and prosperous homes, marriages, businesses, churches, and nations. The only perfect authority is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Blessed and Only Potentate, King of kings and Lord of lords. He is coming soon to destroy in flaming fire all those who have rebelled against Him (II Thess 1:7-11; I Tim 6:13-16).

Spiritual Training 17 December 2012

Posted: December 17, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Romans 4:4-5 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.  However, to the man who does not work but trust God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.      

This verse means that it a person could earn right standing with God by being good, the granting of that gift wouldn’t be a free act; it would be an obligation.  Our self-reliance is futile; all we can do is cast ourselves on God’s mercy and grace.

When some people learn that they are saved by God through faith, they start to worry.  “Do I have enough faith?”  These people miss the point.  It is Jesus Christ who saves us, not our feelings or actions, and he is strong enough to save us no matter how weak our faith is.  Jesus offers us salvation as a gift because he loves us, not because we have earned it through our powerful faith.  What, then, is the role of faith?  Faith is believing and trusting in Jesus Christ, and reaching out to accept his wonderful gift of salvation.

 Lets Bring It Home: Where is our faith?  Who do we start trusting first when we are squeezed by the world?  Do we trust in God from the beginning, or do we lean towards are own understanding fist, and when that don’t work, we turn to God.  Well, God has an answer for that to.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 14:10 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 15, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 14, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 14:10  Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.

Only you know your own sadness and joy. Others may care for you or profess they know you, but they cannot and do not. For you to sympathize with others and help them, you must slow down and look deeper. Finally, God through Jesus Christ knows you perfectly.

You are a unique individual, just as every snowflake is different. The depths of bitterness and heights of joy that you feel cannot be fully known or appreciated by others. Your heart, soul, mind, and conscience create a private set of feelings and thoughts that are known only by you and your Creator. Others cannot discover or define your true feelings.

Anguish and pain in your soul from circumstances, fear, guilt, or hopelessness are your personal property and cannot be felt or understood by a stranger, anyone outside you. Neither can a stranger, anyone outside your soul, grasp and appreciate the joy of your heart, when you are enraptured by circumstances, hope, love, or success.

No friend fully knows your feelings, regardless of how sympathetic. No psychologist can measure your grief or happiness, or their causes. No pastor can fully explain your doubts or desires. You are alone in the universe with your own soul. The combined factors that form another’s feelings and thoughts are quite different from yours, or anyone else’s.

The proverb is an observation by Solomon about human existence. Paul confirmed it, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit with him?” (I Cor 2:11.) Each person is a unique individual with feelings, both negative and positive, unknown to others. Careful study will reveal three lessons from this general observation.

The first lesson is to accept that others cannot fully grasp your grief or happiness, which may cause confusion or neglect. Forgive them. And the opposite is also true: you cannot truly know or sympathize with others. Forgive them as well for their intense feelings that alter their appearance or conduct. Wisdom makes allowances due to this individuality.

Therefore, there needs to be a great deal of sensitivity and tolerance in dealing with others, for you do not the cause, nature, or depth of feelings that may be affecting them. Thus, Biblical charity is essential (I Cor 13:4-7), the golden rule is indispensable (Luke 6:31), and sympathetic empathy must be practiced (Rom 12:15; Heb 10:24; 13:3).

Consider examples. Eli missed Hannah’s bitter soul (I Sam 1:10-16). Gehazi could not see the Shunamite’s vexation (II Kgs 4:27). Job’s three friends were miserable comforters (Job 13:4; 16:2). The Lord’s three chosen disciples neglected the Man of Sorrows in His deepest grief (Mark 14:32-42). And Paul had to defend himself to Corinth (II Cor 12:15).

Michal despised David for his uninhibited worship, because her carnal and shallow soul could not grasp his joy and love for God (II Sam 6:16,20). She loved the military hero (I Sam 18:20), but despised his religious zeal (I Sam 13:14). She lost her husband and position by her insensitivity (II Sam 6:21-23). She should have valued his intense praise.

Think about others and be sensitive to their feelings and thoughts, negative or positive. There is more than what meets the eye. Look closer! Woe to the man whose wife sheds tears outwardly or inwardly for marital pain (Mal 2:10-16; Col 3:19; I Pet 3:7)! Woe to the woman whose husband is denied the love and intimacy his body craves (I Cor 7:1-5)!

Woe to critical and overbearing parents (Pr 4:3; 31:2; Col 3:21)! Woe to insensitive employers (Pr 29:21; Deut 24:14-15; Eph 6:9)! Woe to pastors that roughly treat church members (I Thess 2:7; I Pet 5:3)! Woe to a man ignoring the poor (Pr 21:13; 29:7; Job 31:13-22)! Woe to a man failing to think about offences and correct them (Matt 5:21-26)!

There is a better lesson! Though no other person can relate to your spirit, there is a Counselor and Friend that can. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, feels all your infirmities, and He has experienced all the temptations you face (Heb 4:12-15). He can help you in your darkest hour (Heb 2:18), and He can give peace that passes understanding (Phil 4:7).

The only true joy man can experience is God’s gift by His Spirit (Gal 5:22-23; Rom 15:13; Eccl 5:20). There is no foolish grinning or foaming froth with this joy, for it is God speaking directly to your soul at a level no one else can detect. This seal of His adoption of you as His child includes filling your soul with His love (Rom 5:5; 8:15-16).

Men walking with God can dance in economic disaster (Hab 3:17-19), and they can sing in an inner prison, after being stripped and beaten (Acts 16:22-25). They can find internal encouragement, even when friends want to stone them (I Sam 30:6). God’s presence and communion with the human heart can overcome anything (Ps 27:1-6; 46:1-5; 73:23-28).

Consider Hebrews 4:12 about the Word of God. Most falsely assume this speaks of the written word, the Bible. But nothing in the verse is true about the Bible, and the context proves it is speaking about Jesus Christ (Heb 4:13-14). He can divide between your soul and spirit! He knows the thoughts and intents of your heart! Go to Him (Heb 4:15-16)!

Do you have cares? The proverb teaches that others cannot know them. But if you cast your cares on Him, He cares for you like no other (I Pet 5:7). Are you laboring? Others cannot help carry much. But He can give rest for your soul (Matt 11:28-30). He can be your exceeding joy and your exceeding great reward (Gen 15:1; Ps 43:4). You can talk to Him at any hour of the day or night, and He will always listen and help (Ps 62:8; 142:2).

When you are overwhelmed, then God Himself will be your Friend (Ps 61:2; 142:3). He has all your tears in a bottle: He does not miss one of them, either inside or outside (Ps 56:8). You can pour out your heart to Him (Ps 62:8). Since He can help in the bitterness of your soul, and He can provide heavenly joy, whom else do you need (Ps 73:25-26)? Do not trust in others for your comfort or joy, for only He truly knows and loves you.

Spiritual Training 14 December 2012

Posted: December 15, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Romans 3:27-31 Where, then, is boasting?  It is excluded.  On what principle? On that of observing the law?  No, but on that of faith.  For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.  Is God the God of Jews only?  Is he not the God of Gentiles too?  Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.  Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. 

Most religions prescribe specific duties that must be performed to make a person acceptable to a god.  Christianity is unique in teaching that the good deeds we do will not make us right with God.  No amount of human achievement or progress in personal development will close the gap between God’s moral perfection and our imperfect daily performance.  Good deeds are important, but they will not earn us eternal life.  We are saved only by trusting in what God has done for us.

(Ephesians 2:8-10).  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 Lets Bring It Home: Why does God save us by faith alone? (1) Faith eliminates the pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed that we do.  (2) Faith exalts what God has done, not what people do. (3) Faith admits that we can’t keep the law or measure up to God’s standards-we need help.  (4) Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our performance for God.

Spiritual Training 13 December 2012

Posted: December 13, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Romans 3:22-24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus

Some sins seem bigger than others because their obvious consequences are much more serious.  Murder, for example, seems to us to be worse than hatred, and adultery seems worse then lust.  But this does not mean that because we do lesser sins we deserve eternal life.  All sin makes us sinners, and all sin cuts us off from our holy God.  All sin, therefore leads to death (because it disqualifies us from living with God), regardless of how great or small it seems.

Lets Bring It Home: Justified means to be declared not guilty.  When a judge in a court of law declares the defendant not guilty, all the charges are removed from his record.  Legally, it is as if the person had never been accused.  When God forgives our sins, our records are wiped clean.  From his perspective, it is as though we had never sinned.

Proverbs 13:25 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 13, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 13, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 13:25 The righteous eat to their hearts’ content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry. 

Here is wisdom for a fulfilled, happy life. Will you submit to the Preacher, King of Israel, and his lesson about God’s providence and your contentment? Attitude is more important than quantity or quality, and God’s merciful favor makes a difference among men.

A righteous man is a godly man; a satisfied soul is a contented man. Godliness with contentment is great gain (I Tim 6:6). Believe it! True success is a choice you can make from reading this proverb. Choose now to rise above this dysfunctional, unhappy world.

God provides for righteous men, and He punishes wicked men. What the world pursues with all their might, God supplies to the righteous by His might (Matt 6:33). The assumed lesson here is God’s providential care for godly men (Pr 10:24,29; 11:6,8,19,21,31; etc.).

A righteous man eats sufficient for his needs, of whatever is before him, and finds it a feast. The wicked gorge on excess, wishing the fare was different, and cannot be satisfied. The one is contented and fulfilled; the other is discontented and frustrated.

One curse of man’s sinful existence is discontentment and worry. Solomon noted that the world’s rich are often kept from enjoying their abundance (Eccl 5:12-17; 6:1-2). But God is able to reverse all that in the heart and mind of the righteous (Pr 10:22; Eccl 5:18-20).

God blesses the righteous in their souls, where the wicked are always troubled (Is 57:20-21). Prosperity alone cannot bring contentment, for silver will not satisfy the man loving silver (Eccl 5:10). Contentment is a state of mind known only by the righteous (Pr 16:8; Phil 4:11), and adding it to godliness is great gain for every man (I Tim 6:6-8). Believe it!

Consider the righteous, who eats sufficient for his needs. He eats and drinks with moderation and for strength (Eccl 10:17). He is not tempted to drunkenness, gluttony, and their consequences (Pr 23:21). He even eats and drinks for God’s glory (I Cor 10:31).

He eats whatever is before him, for he has chosen to be content with whatever God provides (Phil 4:12). He chooses to be content with such things he has, for the Lord is his everlasting portion (Ps 73:25-26; Heb 13:5-6). A full heart is better than a full belly.

He finds a modest amount of anything a feast, for he has righteousness, peace, and love as the staples at his table (Pr 15:16-17; Ps 37:16). Because his heart is merry in the Lord, he has a continual feast no matter what is on his table (Pr 15:15; Eccl 5:18-20).

Consider the wicked, who often gorges on abundance (Luke 16:19). He chooses excess over moderation and pays the consequences (Pr 21:17; 23:29-35). But he cannot rest, even in prosperity, for he has the evil disease of worrying about it (Eccl 5:12-17; 6:1-2).

He always wishes the fare or setting was different, for his heart is covetous and greedy of what others have, and this situation vexes his soul (Eccl 6:9). Ahab, though king of Israel, could not enjoy anything in his palace without Naboth’s vineyard (I Kgs 21:1-4).

The wicked find trouble at the finest table, for there is often strife of some sort (Pr 15:17; 17:1). No matter where he looks, no matter what he does, all is vanity and vexation of spirit (Eccl 2:17; 4:4; 6:9). He is like the troubled sea; he cannot rest (Is 57:20-21).

A terrible thing God can do is fill your belly with this world’s best but send leanness into your soul, as He did to Israel with quail (Ps 106:15). Make sure that He knows you are content with your food but covetous for more of Him (Matt 5:6; Luke 10:38-42).

God guarantees the righteous will be fed (Ps 34:10; 37:3,25); and no matter how meager their provision, they have hearts filled with true and lasting joy. The wicked lose every hope at death and will crave a drop of water through eternity (Pr 11:7; Luke 16:24).

Proverbs 12:22 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 13, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 12, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 12:22 The LORD detest lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful

You can be a delight to God today. What a precious proverb! If God delights in you, your future has no bounds. How can you easily obtain God’s favor? By honesty and truth in your dealings! Simply speak the truth and be a man of your word. You will have opportunities today to choose between lying and truth. Embrace honesty and integrity!

God hates liars (Pr 6:16-19). Do not ever think otherwise. All liars shall have their part in the lake of fire (Rev 21:8). There are no liars in heaven (Rev 22:15). Liars are an abomination to the LORD. He will destroy liars (Ps 5:6). He loves men of truth, and He delights in them. God will judge all liars, but He will bless men who deal truly.

The LORD Jehovah, the only living and true God, is a God of truth. Moses wrote of Him, “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he” (Deut 32:4). While nothing is too hard for the LORD, He cannot lie; it is impossible for Him to lie (Titus 1:2; Heb 6:18).

Lying originated with Satan, the devil himself. God made him a rational creature – a very high-ranking angel. He chose to rebel in pride against the Most High God. For this profane and rebellious sin, he was thrown out of his office in heaven. He came and lied to our first parents, deceiving Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. He is a liar and the father of lying; when you tell a lie, you submit to him and honor him as your father (John 8:44).

When something is an abomination, it is disgusting and hateful. When you abominate something, you abhor, detest, and loathe it. God abominates lying – He finds it abhorrent, detestable, and loathsome. He considers lying disgusting, and He hates it with holy hatred. He loves truth, honesty, integrity, sincerity, and the men who love these things.

Ananias and his wife Sapphira were members in the church at Jerusalem. They sold some property and gave a large offering to the apostles. But they lied in keeping back some for themselves. What did the blessed God do about this fudging of the facts? He killed them both in the church (Acts 5:1-11). Do not even think about compromising truth!

God expects more than just telling the truth; He demands your dealings to be in truth. This is honesty in speech and action. All conduct should be governed by integrity and sincerity. You should say exactly what is right and true, and you should do it completely. Reject exaggerating or modifying facts at anytime, and then perform exactly what you said. You can and should be known as a person of perfect integrity in word and deed.

God’s blessing, which makes huge differences among men, is promised to those who are honest and true. David wrote, “What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile” (Ps 34:12-13). Peter then quoted it, “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile” (I Pet 3:10).

A family can only be blessed when lying and liars are rejected (Ps 101:1-8). A church can only be blessed when hypocrites and liars are exposed and eliminated (Ps 144:11-15). But when God delights in either a truthful family or church, He will bless them graciously and generously. This is one of the simplest means for obtaining God’s blessing and favor in your life. Choose to make honesty and integrity very important at home and at church.

Children must learn to hate lying, so parents must teach them. The Bible says they are born liars (Ps 58:3). Honest and observant parents know this to be true. Children must be taught the importance of truth and punished severely for lying. Conversations must be checked for confirmed truth without exaggeration. Do not allow your children to speak without verifying facts to be certain and provable and to limit their words accordingly.

Lying and truth are significantly different to God, and He will make a tremendous variation in how He treats men based on their degree of honesty. What an opportunity for God to delight in you! What an opportunity for you to distinguish yourself before God and men! Starting now, replace all deception and exaggeration with total truthfulness. Who knows what God will do when He delights in you for your honesty and integrity!

Proverbs 11:08 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 11, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 11, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 11:8 The righteous man is rescued from trouble, and it comes on the wicked instead. 

Let the wicked suffer instead of you! Fair enough? God will save you from disaster and punish the wicked instead, if you live righteously. He makes a difference among men by protecting those who live godly lives and judging the wicked in their place. Wonderful!

There is a reward for a righteous man (Ps 58:11). God delivers him from trouble, and He puts the wicked in his place. When the righteous is saved out of trouble, God puts the wicked instead under the trouble and judgment (Pr 24:15-16). The LORD loves the righteous, and He sacrifices the wicked for him. Wonderful! See Proverbs 21:18.

What is the lesson? God blesses and favors those who obey Him, and He judges and punishes those who do not. If you are on the Lord’s side, He will protect and prosper you, and He will despise and destroy His enemies. This is the God of the Bible, though most do not know Him. The crucial point is that you are convicted to live wholly for Him.

The LORD has not promised the righteous will not have troubles, but He has promised to deliver them from those troubles (Job 5:17-27; Ps 34:4-7,17-19; 50:14-15; 66:12; 91:14-16). You can see Jacob, Joseph, David, Job, Daniel, Paul, and others delivered out of trouble (Gen 39:1-3; 48:15-16; II Sam 22:1; Job 42:10-17; Dan 1:17-21; II Tim 4:17).

Here you have the divine reversal of fortune that replaces the righteous with the wicked. The righteous often find themselves in a hopeless situation, for the profit of their souls by God’s providence. And the wicked are sometimes involved in persecuting them in their troubles, but He then switches their cases and leaves the wicked to destruction. Glory!

Pharaoh and Egypt thought they could abuse the Israelites living in their nation. He tried to kill their children; he overworked them without compensation; he mocked Moses and Moses’ God. What happened? God moved Israel to Canaan, ravaged the nation by a variety of plagues, killed Pharaoh’s son and the firstborn in every family, confiscated the nation’s wealth for Israel’s back pay, and drowned the army in the Red Sea! Wonderful!

Haman plotted in hatred to hang Mordecai on gallows he had built for the purpose, but God delivered Mordecai, and Haman was hung in his place (Esther 7:9-10). Instead of Mordecai twitching with a snapped neck, it was Haman! Understanding Christians have rejoiced with smiles at this reversal of fortune for centuries. But that was not all; before he got to hang, Haman had to lead Mordecai through the streets for special honor!

Wicked Medes in the government of Darius conspired and had Daniel thrown to the lions merely for his faith in God and daily prayers, but they and their families ended up being ravaged and eaten by the same lions that the previous night had no dietary interest in Daniel (Dan 6:24). This is violence perfectly suitable for the children of the righteous.

Nebuchadnezzar’s best soldiers were burned alive by the very flames they had prepared for Daniel’s three friends (Dan 3:22). They overheated their furnace for capital crimes, and it torched them to death while not even singeing the hair of the three! They had purposed they would not participate in false religion, and God delivered them for it.

Sixteen Roman soldiers died instead of Peter by the Lord’s glorious deliverance of him from prison (Acts 12:18-19). The angel of God woke Peter during the night and saved him from prison and execution the next day, but the foolish soldiers loyal to Rome died in his place. The proverb before you is very true. Are you one of the righteous?

The righteous are so precious in God’s affections that He will gladly sacrifice the wicked for them (Is 43:3-4). Israel was sure they were doomed when trapped against the Red Sea by Pharaoh’s armies (Ex 14:10-12), but the LORD delivered them gloriously through it and drowned Pharaoh’s army in it (Ex 14:21-31). Consider the celebratory song and dance of Israel in light of the fulfillment of this proverb (Ex 15:1-21). Wonderful!

Peninnah, the cruel wife with children, persecuted Hannah for being barren (I Sam 1:1-6). Yet consider; the Lord gave Hannah favor in the eyes of her husband, Samuel as her first child, and five more children as well (I Sam 1:7-8,19-28; 2:21). Peninnah lived out her days knowing her husband loved Hannah far more, knowing the greatest man in Israel was Hannah’s son, and daily seeing and hearing Hannah’s other five happy children!

Saul persecuted David horribly, chasing him with large forces into wild places of Israel, where David was in constant fear for his life. Yet the LORD brought war with the Philistines on the nation to save His righteous servant David (I Sam 23:19-29). Would you rather die the death of Saul (I Sam 31:1-13), or the death of David (II Sam 23:1-5)?

Jesus Christ was betrayed, persecuted, falsely accused, abused, and finally crucified between common thieves. Yet He was delivered from death to God’s right hand, and His enemies were miserably destroyed (Matt 21:33-46; 22:1-7; Luke 19:27). For the death of one Man, more than one million of them were starved or killed in the siege of Jerusalem.

Enemies have persecuted and troubled the righteous for two thousand years, but their Lord is coming soon to rectify the situation, when there will be a great reversal of fortune lasting through eternity (II Thess 1:3-10; Rev 6:9-17). The smoke of their enemies’ eternal torment will rise into heaven as incense for a perpetual reminder (Rev 14:10-12).

There is a reward for the righteous! There is no need to fret because of the prosperity or the persecutions of the wicked. They do not see their day coming, but the righteous do! The LORD laughs about what He is going to do to the wicked (Ps 2:1-12; 37:12-13), and the righteous should laugh with Him (Ps 52:1-7; 58:6-11). Are you one of the righteous?

Spiritual Training 11 December 2012

Posted: December 11, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 

Some sins seem bigger than others because their obvious consequences are much more serious.  Murder, for example, seems to us to be worse than hatred, and adultery seems worse then lust.  But this does not mean that because we do lesser sins we deserve eternal life.  All sin makes us sinners, and all sin cuts us off from our holy God.  All sin, therefore leads to death (because it disqualifies us from living with God), regardless of how great or small it seems.

Lets Bring It Home: Don’t minimize “little” sins or overate “big” sins.  They all separate us from God, but they all can be forgiven. Seek Gods forgiveness now before its to late.

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