Forgiven Sins; Greater Love

 

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“Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Luke 7:47 (ESV)

A Pharisee invited Jesus to share a meal with him in his home. While He reclined at the table a sinful woman entered the home.

She brought a very expensive ointment with her. She she wept and wet his feet with her tears and wiped his feet with her hair. She then poured the ointment on his feet.

Jesus’ host wondered whether Jesus knew her background. Jesus spoke to His host telling him a parable about two men who owed debts to a moneylender. The lender forgave both of the men their debt. The message Jesus gave was that the man with the biggest debt would love the lender more because he was forgiven more.

Jesus told his host that this woman, thought to be sinful by the townspeople, was forgiven because she showed Jesus love by doing things the host should have done but didn’t do. Jesus forgave her for her sins.

Sometimes, we find ourselves confronted with evidence that we either sinned by commission or by omission. When we find ourselves faced with our sins, of either type, we must search our hearts and seek His forgiveness.

I have committed some large-sized sins in my life, but when God or the person I wronged forgave me, I truly felt loved.

Confession, Forgiveness

 

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered.

I acknowledged my sin unto You,

And my iniquity I have not hidden.

I said, “I will confess my transgressions/ to the LORD,”

And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Selah

Psalm 32:1,5 (NKJV)

These are the words of David. “Most scholars agree that Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 were responses to David’s sin with Bathsheba. “ ⁽¹⁾

What is David saying in these verses?

He is telling those who might read his writing that those who seek God’s forgiveness will receive blessings from the LORD.

In the second section (verse 5), David states that he confessed his sin to God. He did not hide that sin from the LORD. I have read that in order to be forgiven, we have to tell God what we did in order to acknowledge the severity of it and that we have learned that what we did was wrong.

We have all done things that, later, we realized were sinful and not what God expected of His children.

The good news in all of this is that God forgives us for our sins, when we confess them and ask His forgiveness.

We have a God who loves us, who has saved us from sin, and who forgives us when we do sin.

1. Jeremiah Study Bible, Study note, page 726

Revival

 

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If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

Last Wednesday, February 8, 2023, On Asbury University’s campus in Willmore, Kentucky, Revival broke out after chapel. It was a spontaneous outpouring of the Holy Spirit, People from the area there heard of it and decided they HAD to go. Colleges across the nation sent busloads of people to witness and be a part of this happening.

Four colleges from the state where I live sent busloads. Our pastor and his wife journeyed down to Willmore to be a part of the happening. (He went to seminary there.)

In February, 1970, Asbury College (its name then) was the sight of another revival that spread across the nation. I personally know of a gentleman, and possibly his wife, who were saved at a meeting here in my hometown that was a part of that Asbury Revival.

We need revival in our land. We truly need to follow God’s instructions here and set the ground for Him to forgive us of our sin and heal our land.

There is so much unrest in our nation. We can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the television news without hearing of senseless killings. We can’t seem to get along with our neighbors. We see our younger generations self-destructing by the choices they make.

I believe that the passage from 2 Chronicles that I cited above has a message for each of us today and will be appropriate for believers until Jesus returns to earth.

We do have to pray!

A God-Given Spirit

 

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for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

Words of Paul to his spiritual son Timothy.

Paul encourages Timothy to not be ashamed of speaking about God or about his (Paul’s) imprisonment.

God empowers His people to stand for Him and His Word. He still empowers us, His followers, to stand firm in the face of what the world throws at us.

A church I was a part of had a guiding document that included the guiding thought that the church’s calling is to approach the world and change it. Instead, we see the world entering the church and changing it. My present church’s denomination historically has been counter-cultural in its beliefs. Slowly, the world has seen to have crept in and tried to destroy the beliefs and practices we have held dear. Author Charles Colson wrote in some of his books that the colleges of the east coast we founded by churches and originally taught Christian values. Even at the time of his writing, the values, once held dear to the institutions were becoming blurred.

There was a gospel song I heard several years ago that summed up what we must do, it’s title-” The Basics of life”. One line said it all, “Let’s get back to the Basics of life. "We need to do just that!

   

Self-control

 

Christianity.com

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 2 Timothy 3:1-3 (NKJV)

Words of Paul to Timothy. Paul knew he was going to leave this earth. This letter constitutes his parting words to Timothy.

In this passage of scripture, Paul minces no words about the condition the world will be in during the last days.

As we read these words does anything sound familiar? To me it sounds horrible. My study Bible note tells that “Paul speaks of 19 descriptors in verses 1-5 that characterizes the breakdown of society and the family.” ⁽¹⁾

One of them is self-control-the last of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Self-control is described as “the ability to restrain inappropriate passions and appetites. ⁽²⁾

Each believer must practice self-control as we serve the LORD. Each of us must watch how we respond to what another person tells us. We must keep our tongues in line with what God wants us to share with others.

Each of us may have something in our lives that we need to work on or give to the LORD and let Him straighten out.

Father God:

Please guide us as we traverse these last day. Allow us, Your spiritual children, to learn more of You and Your ways. Please guide us in all we do. We love You and desire to serve you for the rest of our lives. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN

1, Jeremiah Study Bible (page 1721)

2. Jeremiah Study Bible (page 1633)

God’s Purpose

 

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” Now my soul is troubled and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose, I came to this hour. Father glorify Your Name." John 12:27-28a (NKJV)

Here Jesus speaks to God from His humanity. His soul is troubled. He knows what lays ahead for Him, yet He fears the separation from His Father that He has to endure.

Jesus Christ knew God had led Him to this point in His ministry. He asks the question if he should ask God to save Him from that hour.

However, Jesus realized and stated that what He was about to go through was God’s plan and purpose.

Our God has plans and purposes for each of us. In researching God’s purpose for our lives, we begin to see His plan unfold for each of us.

1. Keep in touch with God through prayer.

2. Study His Word (Read the Bible)

3. Apply what you read to our hearts.

I have had a terrible time getting onto the internet this afternoon. I spent almost an hour and five phone calls to my carrier. I had to go pick up some things at the dry cleaners. I was online when I returned. We had supper and I could not get back online again. I had to switch browsers in order to get this posted. I also had to get a new password. I believe there is a message in this. At the moment, I am unsure what that message is.

Husband knows to not ask any questions or cross my path when things like this happen. I get very upset.

What Will It Take?

This is a departure from this month's theme. I felt so moved by hearing an answer to my thought. Because of this experience, I am also journaling this verse, one phrase as a time.

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quiet spirit 

Recently, as I read our local newspaper, I became sad about the violence occurring in our cities, our nation, and our world: People unable to peacefully resolve their differences, others, carrying weapons going into schools and taking out the lives of defenseless children and those called to educate them.

 

Memorial Day weekend saw multiple mass shootings across our nation. These followed the Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York tragedies.

 

As I was working in my kitchen, I wondered, “What will it take for order to come back to our world?” I received an answer to my question. “If my people. . .will humble themselves and pray.”

 

 If My people who are called by My name,

            The Lord is speaking about those who say they belong to Him. 

            He knows our hearts.

 

will humble themselves”

            We must recognize our sin, confess it to Jesus and leave it with Him.

 

 and pray

            Go before the LORD and ask Him to guide us, to help us conquer these sinful                issues.

 and seek my face.

            Diligently look for the LORD. Spend quantity time with Him.

 

 and turn from their wicked ways,

            Renounce and forsake the evil thoughts, and actions. Move away from anything              that God dislikes in us. Repent from the questionable language and behaviors.

 

 then I will hear from heaven

            The LORD patiently waits to hear us calling out to Him. He listens whenever we call upon Him.

 

and will forgive their sin

            God, in return, will forgive His people of their sin. He will not remember them.

 

 and heal their land

            God will heal those things that continually vex His people.

 

Some things to think on:

 

1.         Do we need to humble ourselves?

2.         Have we harbored “Christian” sins in our hearts?

3.         Do we truly pray, seeking His will or do we dictate to God what we want?

4.         Do we spend quantity time in prayer as we  seek His guidance, or do we pray on the run?

5.         If we have any bad thoughts and habits, do we want to give them up?

 

 

 

 

 

  

Falling in Love with Jesus

 I heard a pastor sing this song this morning. I loved the words. I hope you will like it as well.

Put On the New Man

 

Family Radio 316

 

if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:21-24 (NKJV)

 

Paul wrote these words to the believers at Ephesus.

 

He points out that believers should not dabble in the ways they pursued before they came to Christ. The decision to NOT partake in the ways of the ‘old man’ must be a daily decision. ⁽¹⁾

 

The decision to allow the ‘new man’ to be seen in our lives is ultimately up to God. ⁽²⁾

 

Certain times, our attitudes might not reflect God. When this happens, we must ask God to forgive us. It isn’t always easy for me to keep a reign on my attitude and even sometimes my mouth. But God is always there to hear my pleas.

 

God can help us put off the old man in our make ups. He desires us to put on the new man for us to reflect Him to those around us.

   (1,2 Jeremiah Study Bible, © 2013, Worthy, Hachette Book Group, New York, NY. Page 1645, Study Notes.

 

A Witness Testifying

 

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The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There was a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him that all men might believe. John 1:5-7 (NIV)

 

Our world is not any different from the world in the New Testament. In fact, some might say it is worse. People in our world hear of “the light” but most either have not cared or do not understand about it.

 

God sent John to point the way for the people of the New Testament so they could find their way through the darkness and enter into “the light.”

 

Present day, we read of school and workplace shootings, suicides, and random shootings. We need someone who can lead our people out of the murkiness of our world and into the presence of Jesus.

 

Our world is a fallen and hurting world. We must evaluate our thoughts, our actions, and our reactions as we advance through our lives. We have a responsibility to reflect Jesus to all those around us.

 

Are there things we could do to better reflect Jesus to those around us?

Blessings

 

 

 Blessings crown the heads of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. Proverbs 10:6 (NIV)

 

This verse intrigues me. It tells me that the righteous people will receive blessings from God. There have been times when we wonder if we have done something we shouldn’t because we must go through something that causes us hurt. We learn something from those times, something that we might not have known and, yet have needed to know.

 

Some things I have experienced through this pandemic have been there all the time; I just didn’t realize they were. Yes, there have been struggles but out of these struggles have come some blessings.

 

On the other hand, I hear and read of stories that a person was responsible for personal hurt to another individual, either something they said or did to cause major issues. Sometimes, these hard feelings escalate and cause more and greater problems for the individuals involved and even for our society.

 

As Children of God, we must remember to thank Him for the way He blesses us. This must become a daily habit.

 

For some time, I have had trouble falling asleep at night. Two different friends have said they spend time, after their heads hit the pillow, just thanking Him for what He has done for us and what He has given us, not asking Him for anything. I decided to try it and I have slept better than I have for quite a while.                              

 

                                                            Maranatha Music

Jesus is the Vine

 

Steve Thomason

 

                                                                “I am the vine, you are the

                                                branches. He who abides in Me, and I in

                                                him, bears much fruit; for without Me

                                                you can do nothing. If anyone does not

                                                abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch

                                                and is withered; and they gather them                      

and throw them into the fire and they

                                                are burned. John 15: 5-6 (NKJV)

               

                               

Jesus continues his comparison by stating that He is the vine and those who follow Him are the branches. That is a potent statement for the disciples to hear. He continues by saying something that must have shaken them to their cores. Simply stated, he tells them they can do nothing to save someone or to minister to their broken spirits unless He is present and working in the circumstance. We must remember this when we present the Gospel to those around us.

 

Per the scripture, those who do not abide in Christ and chose to continue going their own way are punished for their disobedience.

 

Without Jesus’ guidance in our lives, we cannot become the persons He has planned for us to be.  We must learn to remain in Him, no matter what we face in our earthly life.

 

A couple at our church went through a very difficult time. They both lost their jobs; then, they lost their house. The husband decided that they would stay with God and see how He would work things out for them. The church helped them by referring people to them if the people had odd jobs that needed to be done. They found a place to live. He found a new job within walking distance from their new home.  He shared this story when he was asked to speak on Laity Sunday one year.

He Shall Endure Forever

 

 

                But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared his throne for                                     judgement. Psalm 9:7 (NKJV)

 

David pens some very deep thoughts in this short verse.

 

The Lord shall endure forever-

 

God will always be there for His children. When I was in college, there was a movement that stated, “God is dead.” I didn’t pay any attention to that thought. I don’t believe the movement survived through the 1960’s. 

 He has prepared His throne for judgment-

                                             Yes, each one of us will be judged as to what we have done about Jesus, the clergy people have studied at university levels to attain the skills to preach, teach, counsel, and lead the flocks God had given them. Missionaries also spend at least one year learning the language of the field where they will minister.

In the medical field, doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, and dieticians attend schools in order to gain the knowledge to work where God places them.                 

As Christian believers, we must prepare for worship, both individual and corporate. We must be certain that our hearts are ready to go before the Lord. When we prepare to worship Him, we are then more open to serve Him how and where He chooses.   

 

Yes, God will judge us according to what we have done for Him. Each of us must prepare our hearts to be open to work for Him as He chooses. I have experienced working in different areas of service for God over the years.  As I get older, I can see His hand on my life’s choices more and more.                                                                

 

 

 

                 

 

A Priest Prepares

 

ezraministry.org.nz

               

                For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.  Ezra 7:10 (NKJV)

 

Ezra, a priest and a scribe in Israel prepared his heart before he began to help rebuild Israel after the first Babylonian exile.

 

What does it mean that Ezra prepared his heart? My NIV translation says it like this:” For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.”

  

  What does that tell us today? We must spend time in the Word of God in order to understand what we see happening in our nation and our world. We must also observe those commandments of God and commands that Jesus makes for us.

 

We all have something in our lives that we need to alter in order to prepare our hearts for God to work through us.

 

My Life Application Bible has a note on this verse and the ones preceding it. “He was effective because he was a well-versed student of the Law of the LORD, and he was determined to obey those laws. He taught through both his speaking and his example.” (Page 784)

 

Personally, I have developed a lot of bad habits during this COVID pandemic. I plan on doing something about them and replace them with good, godly ones.   

                  

 

John the Baptist

 

 l

Bible Blender

 

            In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent for the kingdom of      heaven is near.” That is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah. Matthew 3:1-3a (NIV)

 

John the Baptist was what we today call an itinerant preacher. The prophet Isaiah described him as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the LORD.’”

 

John told the people to repent, to turn away from sin and not return to those ways.

 

During the wandering of the Israelites, they would stop doing things that God did not like but they always seemed to fall back in their sinful ways.

 

When they closely followed God, things went well. However, when the Israelites fell into sin and did not follow God’s ways, their collective life was in torment. A former Sunday school teacher made the analogy of a roller coaster ride—they followed God, all things went well; they disobeyed God and all things did not go well at all.

 

As a people, we face difficulties at every turn. Nothing happens in our world that gets accepted by a vast majority of us.

 

We must trust the LORD and wait patiently for Him to act. We also must prepare our hearts for Him to use us according to His will.                                                             

HE AROSE! HAPPY EASTER

Were You There?

God Sees Me-Paul

 

Pinterest

 

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from

heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him,

“Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?” Acts 9:3-4 (NIV)                

Saul was on his way to Damascus. His mission was to round up those who belonged to The Way, the sect of Christians, and carry them back to Jerusalem. They would be his prisoners.

 

Something happened that changed his life forever. He met the LORD. God asked him a very pertinent question, “Why are you persecuting me?” Jesus identifies himself. Paul is told to go into Damascus, and he will be told what to do.

 

            The LORD instructed Saul in a one-on-one conversation. Those traveling with Saul did not see anything. How often do we hear a message from God that no one else hears?

 

God watched as Saul wreaked havoc among those who belonged to The Way, those who believed in Christ. God knew all the evil and nastiness in Saul’s heart. Yet, God chose to forgive Saul and direct him to work for Him.

 

For God to know Saul’s attributes, He had to watch as Saul went through his murderous ways. He saw Saul, forgave him, and used him for His glory.

 

As God sees us go through our lives, He takes note of our attributes and our weaknesses. Personally, I know He has taught me so much about myself. I now understand why I react the way I do when I have issues with my computer. It is due to my frustration. I know God can take care of that shortcoming if I allow Him to.

God Sees Me-Thomas

 

hearthymn.com

“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my fingers where the nails were and put my hands into his side, I will not believe it.”

 “My Lord and my God!” John 20:25,28 (NIV)

 

The above verses are Thomas’ reactions to hearing of and then seeing the risen LORD. The context of the first quote tells us that Thomas was not present when Jesus first visited the disciples on the evening after his resurrection. On this first visit, Jesus’ first words were words of comfort, “Peace be with you.”

 

On Jesus’s second visit, a week later, Jesus repeats his greeting, and He addresses Thomas. He tells Thomas to do what he said were the conditions of his, Thomas’ believing that the others had seen the LORD. Thus, we read of Thomas’ affirmation, “My Lord and my God!”

 

God saw and heard Thomas voice his disbelief. We have scriptural proof that God saw Thomas. I do not believe we realize how important that was to both him and the others.

 

God does see us in our times of disbelief and doubt. He then chooses to meet that doubt and gives us what we need.

 

We had a relative who kept telling my husband that she would not come back to the LORD until after he brought a man into her life. I believe she came back to the LORD because He spoke to her heart and told her it was more important that He be a part of her life.

How often do we wish to have peace in our lives? How often do YOU want to have peace in YOUR life?

God Sees Me- Isaiah

 

Vision.org

               

In the year King Uzziah died,

I saw the Lord seated on a throne,

High and exalted, and the train of

his robe filled the temple.

Isaiah 6:1 (NIV)

 

I always love the word picture Isaiah gives us of seeing the LORD in the temple. As we read further into this chapter, we see that Isaiah is overwhelmed by the scene of the seraphs and the temple filling up with smoke. He confesses that he is a sinner and is not worthy of being able to see the LORD.

This scene is written from Isaiah’s view. God is also present, along with the seraphs.

King Uzziah had died. Isaiah was probably in mourning over this loss to the nation. He grieved for the nation. God could have seen Isaiah in his saddened state and chose to reveal Himself to Isaiah.

 

God commissions Isaiah to represent Him to those in the nation Judah. Does God ever give us His blessing to perform an act for Him? Yes, He does. Any time we are led by God to pray for someone, that is His commission from Him to pray for that person or that need.