Thou Shalt Not Murder

 

As a general rule, I do not comment on news events happening in our world. This post is an exception.

Earlier this winter, a man was killed in New York City. He was there for a meeting. His purpose was to speak at the gathering.

Instead, he was shot down from behind, in the back, and immediately died. He was an executive of a health insurance company. He was a son, a husband and a father of two sons.

I heard of people accessing social media who seem to say that the perpetrator did something admirable. Lately, I have not gone on social media for very long.

As I sat one recent evening, watching a late-night news program, the scripture verse came to me, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13 {NKJV})

In all the aftermath, I did not hear anyone even refer to this commandment from God. Have the people of our nation and those who keep us informed forgotten this message?

Yes, my first thought was the young man may have had personal issues with the company. However. That was not the case. Neither he nor his family had any dealings with that company.

 

God had a reason for telling Moses, “Thou shall not kill”; any time someone is killed, the very act causes anguish for two families, as well as close friends, of both parties involved.

We can only pray that God can reach those who encourage violence to look to Him instead of taking things intot their own hands.

Trusting in Jesus

 

My Christmas Present.

This is a song that ran through my heart and mind after God chose my word for 2024. I have put my thoughts on paper in order to help me understand the message of this song.

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

Yes, it is very sweet to have Jesus in your corner. We can rely on Him.

Just to take Him at His Word

When we allow Jesus into our lives, we learn to rely on Him and His word.

Just to rest on His promise

We can take what He tells us into our hearts.

Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord!

When we know Jesus said something, we know we can believe it and rely on Him and His word.

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!

As we get to know Jesus, we learn that He has our best interests at heart.

How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er

Each time we patiently wait for Jesus to act on a prayer request, we prove that He does care for us.

Oh, for grace to love Him more!

When we see answers to our prayers, we realize that we can love Him more than we do.

I’m so glad I learned to trust thee,

Yes, I am very thankful that I learned to turn everything over to Him.

Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend.

There is no one like Him. He is my Savior, and my Friend.

And I know You are with me,

Whatever I go through, I know Jesus is right beside me.

With me to the end.

He will be with me at the time, He escorts me into God’s presence.

Jesus, Jesus, How I trust Him!

When we learn of Him, we see that He is worthy of our trust.

How I’ve proven Him o’er and o’er.

When we witness to someone, we prove that He is real and that He loves them.

Jesus, precious Jesus!

The Lord grows more precious each day.

Oh, for grace to trust Him more.

We need to experience God’s love in order to learn to trust Him.

Oh, for grace to trust Him more.

We learn to trust Jesus by allowing Him to have full reign over our lives.

Oh, for grace to trust Him more.

Yes, we must learn to trust Him more.

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“’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” by Louise M.R. Stead

Rest In the Lord

 

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

Do not fret because of him who

prospers in his way,

Because of the man who brings wicked

schemes to pass.

Cease from anger and forsake wrath,

Do not fret—it only causes harm.

Psalm 37:7-8 (NKJV)

Words of David

Rest in the Lord

Relax, do not get upset, Do not get overly excited.

wait patiently for Him.

Be patient; waiting is a learned response. We are not born with the ability to wait.

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

We are given excellent advice here. We are not to worry about things that really do not concern us. Even if some action affects us, if we are not directly involved in the issue, we are not to worry about it. If someone we know prospers, we should be happy for them and remember that reverses do happen.

Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

We are not to worry about those who choose to concoct evil things into our lives. IT is a fact of life that there are people who choose to do devastating things to others as Christians, we are to be bigger than that.

Cease from anger and forsake wrath,

David tells us to stop being angry and to not pursue ‘getting even’ with those who cause us hurt. We are NOT to act like children on the school playground.

Do not fret—it only causes harm.

As a child, I seemed to be one that took all things to heart. I worried about everything to the point of crying. My mother told me innumerable times that I needed to stop it or I would make myself sick. I seemed to grow out of it. Until I was middle-aged. I went through some difficult adult things. Then a Christian friend told me the very same thing. I took my friend’s words to heart. I am so thankful that I relearned that lesson.

God Grants Us Mercy

 

https;//www,churchescare.com/god/jesus

Come and hear all who fear God,

And I will declare what He has done for my soul.

I cried to Him with my mouth,

And he was extolled with my tongue.

If I regard iniquity in my heart,

the Lord will not hear.

But certainly God has heard me;

He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be God,

Who has not turned away my prayer,

Nor His mercy from me.

                                                                                                Psalm 66:16-20 (NKJV)

This message was directed to the Chief Musician in the Temple.

Come and hear all who fear God,

The author of this Psalm invites all to hear God’s be proclaimed to those present at either Passover or a victory celebration. ^1.

And I will declare what He has done for my soul.

This passage could be the praise of one worshiper. ² That worshiper desires to give praise for what God has done for him.

How often do we forgo giving praise to God and sharing testimony of His workings in our lives?

I cried to Him with my mouth,

The author shares that He took his hurts to the LORD and left them there. We should always give God our hurt feelings before we tell others around us about them.

And he was extolled with my tongue.

The author/speaker praised God as He prayed. Sometimes, we forget to praise Him for the good things He has given us.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

The author/speaker has learned that God does not hear the prayers of an unrepentant sinner. Even in today’s world, God does not entertain sin. We should seek to keep our hearts and minds clear of sinful thoughts and habits.

But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

The author/speaker most likely saw answers to his prayers to God. As Christians, we have to live our lives in such a way that we know God has heard our prayers and that He will answer them.

Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me.

The author/speaker chooses to bless God for not turning His back on his prayers and has granted him mercy. Because of our humanity, we often forget to thank God for answers to our prayers.

_____________

1.) Study Note: Jeremiah Study Bible page 748.

2.) Op. Cit.

What Lacking Self-Control Looks Like

 

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A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. Proverbs 25: 28 (ESV)

Words of Solomon, the son of David.

Someone without self-control seems to fall for ‘the latest’, what he or she hears from the television or reads in the newspaper. That person is not grounded in faith.

We see this result in our world today with the seeming popularity of “groups” that promote ideas that were unheard of 40, 50, or more years ago.

Carla Gasser, author of The Beauty of An Uncluttered Soul, tells us that a person who practices self-control practices spirit- control. That person lives with the Holy Spirit guiding him or her.

At first, it is not easy to function with the Holy Spirit leading our lives. I believe it gets easier to do as we go practice giving issues to the LORD through our days. Even then, we may have times when the enemy chooses to test our resolve.

We must remember that we serve a LORD who understands the stress when the enemy tempts us. He tempted Jesus and Jesus rebuked him.

My sister-in-law had a friend give her a print-out of a meme that had a special message:

“When the devil knocks at your door, ask Jesus to answer it.”

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!

   

God’s Plan

 

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For I know the thoughts [plans] that I think towards [have for] you,

says the LORD. Thoughts [plans] of peace not evil, to give

you a future and hope. Hebrews 29:11 (NKJV) [NI V]

The words in brackets are how I learned this verse.

The LORD has set in motion a time of exile for the Israelite people. They will be in bondage for 70 years, a life time to a lot of people now. How many generations of Israelite people lived in this bondage during those years?

Yet, God had plans for them. False prophets had misled them. One told the Israelite people the enslavement would last just two years. God took him out two months later.

God’s plans were positive-in the long run. The people had to learn some lessons and learn to respect God.

Recently, I came across the thought that what we see happening in our world today has come about because we have lost respect for God and the lessons we have needed to learn. This thought makes sense to me.

What do you think about this? Does God still have plans for His children? Will His children respond to God in a way that uplifts Him?

Pledges

node01flagstat.net

 I gave this message at church this past Sunday.  I didn't realize that some of this information was new to some of the adults. 

Children’s Moments Message

September 25, 2022

I have been thinking about promises lately, sometimes we call them pledges. A pledge is a sincere promise we make. We make one to our nation’s flag, another one to the Bible, and one to the Christian flag.

In all three pledges, we promise to be loyal to each of these.

Pledge to the American flag

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which is stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

mediaistockphoto.com

Pledge to the Bible

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word. A lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. It’s words I will hide in my heart, that I might not sin against God. ⁽¹⁾

node01flagstat.net

Pledge to the Christian flag

I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands, one Savior, crucified, risen again, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe. ⁽²⁾

We have those items in our sanctuary here at Cross Roads. I discovered something I did not know about the Christian flag. I knew there is a cross in a blue section, and the rest of the flag is white. Here’s what I learned:

#The shade of red in the Cross reminds us of Jesus’ blood that He shed because He took our sins away.

#The blue reminds us of the water of baptism. It also reminds us of Jesus’ loyalty to God.

#The white reminds us of Jesus’ purity. He was without sin until He went to the Cross for us. ⁽³⁾

^{________________________}

^1.http://www.ccabrazil.org/uploads /4/3/5/9/4359809/christian_flag__bible_pledges.pdf

2. IBID.

3. http://en.wikiepedia.org/Christian _Flag#:-text=The Christian Flag was first to arrive for the event/

Patience and Gentleness

 

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By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded, and a gentle tongue breaks a bone.

Proverbs 25:15 (NKJV)

Moses listened to the Lord and patiently awaited the day that Pharaoh would finally let the Israelite people depart Egypt and head to the land God had promised them.

Hannah exercised patience and faith as she awaited receiving her first-born son, Samuel. Hannah also practiced gentleness, although it was difficult, as she endured the taunts from Peninnah.

When we have stress-causing circumstances in our lives, we have to practice patience and, yes, gentleness in our daily lives. We may have to spend more time with God, as he gently whispers words of comfort, healing and love into our ears as we face overwhelming circumstances in our lives.

When we hear things from others that upset us, we need to apply the rule that our mothers said, “If you can’t say anything nice, say nothing at all.” This was a rule that a lot of us senior citizens heard from early on in our growing-up years. It is a pity that this rule seemed to fall by the wayside during the last half-century

Can we begin teaching this “rule” to children of these times?

God Bless America

If you feel compelled to sing along. Feel free to. This brought tears to my eyes.

God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above

From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home

God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above

From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home

From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home
God bless America, my home sweet home

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Irving Berlin

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.

Rest Gives Confidence

 

                            

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                 I heard, and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Habakkuk 3:16-18 (NIV)

 

After a conversation with God, Habakkuk prays. In that prayer he speaks of destruction and torment on the earth. Toward the end of his prayer Habakkuk describes his reaction to all he saw. He concludes that he will wait patiently for the invaders of his land to receive calamity.

 

I see Habakkuk’s willingness to be patient as a gift from God. Only God can give a person that quality.

 

Habakkuk then paints a bleak word picture of what he believes his world will be like. Still, he says he will rejoice in the LORD, joyful in God his Savior.

 

Since July of 2019, I have assisted a couple from my high school graduating class keep track of those who have passed on. As of the day before I write this, we have had 15 pass away since then, six of them this year. We must praise God that they were some part of our school experience.

 

All believers must rest in the LORD during good times as well as trying times.

Jesus’ Invitation

 

 

                 he said to them, “Come away with me by yourselves and get some rest.

 Mark 6:31 (NIV)

 

                This verse comes in the middle of a passage where the apostles had reported to Jesus about “all they had done and taught.”

The twelve were so crowded by people they did not have a chance to eat. Therefore, Jesus encouraged them to go to “deserted place and rest awhile” (NKJV)

 

Each believer needs rest, especially after a harrowing event in their lives. A family funeral, a time of surgery, a time of great excitement, during an illness.

 

The LORD Jesus often went to Gethsemane by himself to commune with His Father. God rested from his work of creation on the seventh day.

 

In our American culture in the past, there were what is referred to as ‘Blue Laws’. No unnecessary businesses were open on Sunday. People knew this; they made sure they had gasoline in their cars and food in the house.

 

A corner grocery store in our neighborhood was open for a few hours on Sunday. It was owned and run by a family. As I remember, they only had maybe one or two employees over the years.

 

Things seemed simpler when we obeyed the words of God about resting on the Sabbath.

 

The author of one of the blogs I used to follow stated repeatedly that she took Sunday as a Cyber Sabbath. I did it for a while, but I got out of the habit. I believe I need to practice it again. 

Praise God, our Source

 

livinggracecatalog.com

 

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow

Praise Him, all creatures here below

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Lyrics ~ Thomas Ken, 1637 - 1711

 

Music ~ Louis Bourgeois, c.1510 - c.1561

 

in the Grenevan Psalter, 1551

Praise God from who all blessings flow,

God is the source of ALL our blessings. Every good thing that happens in our lives has its beginning with Him. Our Father leads us through tough times to the outcome He has for us.

 

Praise Him, all creatures here below.

In Psalm 150:6 we read that all who have breath are to praise Him. As I initially wrote this, I saw the evidence of sunshine peeking through the clouds. The temperature had dropped overnight but I could still praise the LORD for the partly sunny sky.

 

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host

The psalmist tells the angels to praise God. Should we not also praise Him?

 

Praise Him, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

This thought gives us pause as we consider the three forms of the Godhead. God the Father is our creator. God the Son is our Savior. God the Holy Ghost (Spirit) is our sustainer.

 

We must praise God for all He does for us, for all He will do for us, and for all He has done for us. When we praise God, we thank Him.

The Voice of God

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But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

In my recent reading, I learned that God’s voice was present before the written Word of God.

In the book of Genesis, we see several instances of God saying the words and the world came into being. (Genesis 1)

Moses heard God’s voice when he chose to investigate the bush that burned but was not consumed. (Exodus 3)

Moses heard God’s voice call him up to the mountaintop to give him the stone tablets with the 10 Commandments inscribed on them. (Exodus 19)

Abraham heard God’s voice when God instructed him to move away from his homeland. God did not reveal Abraham’s destination at that time.

Abraham heard God speak to him when God told him to take Isaac and go to Mount Moriah and sacrifice Isaac. (Genesis 22)

Samuel heard God’s voice when he was a small boy. His mentor, Eli did not recognize it to be God’s voice at first. (1 Samuel 3)

Samuel heard God’s voice another time when he was searching for someone to replace King Saul. ( 1 Samuel 16:7)

Can we hear God’s voice today? Yes, we can, if we listen and learn to recognize it.

To recognize the Voice of God, we must be actively pursuing Him. We do that through prayer and worship.

In my walk with Christ, I have had numerous times of hearing God’s voice. Some of those times, I was like Eli. I did not recognize it as God speaking to me.

God’s speaking to me at one time kept me from participating in an activity at a church I was in. He had a reason I was to be home that evening. Because of my decision not to attend, I was home to hear that my dad was having heart issues. That led to Hubby and me taking him for an appointment that led to heart surgery. It was later that I realized that God had guided me to be home when Dad called and said he needed to talk to us.

Coming out of the shutdown of our state courtesy of this pandemic in mid- May, I contacted my hairstylist to see if she had opened her shop. She had not and, if she did, it would be early June, and not before. A short while later the thought came to me that she was not going to open again. Toward the end of May, she called me. I casually asked her if she had made her decision. “That’s why I am calling you. I have officially retired from the hair business.” I was not surprised. I realized later why. It came to me that God had spoken to me. I am sure He spoke to her as well.

When God speaks to us, His children, we must listen.                                                                                                                             

God is Our Refuge

Jesus Quotes and God Thoughts, Wordpress.con 

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

Will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD,

“He is my Refuge and my fortress, My God in who I trust.”

Surely, he will save you from the fowler’s snare

And from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers,

And under his wings, you will find Refuge.   

                 Psalm 91:1-4 (NIV)

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

The Psalmist speaks of those who live their lives as close to God as they can. He speaks of those who dwell in the shelter of God. One who dwells at a certain place lives there, not just visits. They spend a quantity of their time in prayer, in service to God, working for Him.

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

When hardships come to those who live for the LORD, they go to Him in prayer and search the scriptures for guidance. When decisions must be made, those people pray for special direction to arrive at the correct answer for them and those around them.

I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

Believers who trust in the LORD will tell others that they find protection and strength that fortifies them in the face of personal trials.

my God in who I trust.

Believers rely on God for all their needs.

They depend on God for guidance and direction in every phase of their lives.

They do not get upset when things do not go as they had planned.

Surely, he will save you from the fowler’s snare

God watches over His children and leads them away from personal danger. Yes, there are times we wonder about this considering the aftermath of a tornado or an earthquake. All we can say is God is in control. 

and from the deadly pestilence.

Yes, even during this COVID-19 pandemic, when we abide by the rules set down by those who have devoted their lives to scientific research and study, we will be safe and keep others safe.

He will cover you with his feathers,

God will protect us. He will give us what we need to keep us safe from danger. However, we must be mindful of certain guidelines we have to keep us free from peril.

and under his wings, you will find refuge.

When we abide in Jesus, we find comfort and safety. We can rest and relax. Our minds are not encumbered by thoughts that plaque us and rob us of rest and peace.

Jesus Prayed; God Responded

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 Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son, with you, I am well pleased” Luke 3:21-22 (ESV)

Jesus chose to be baptized along with other people by John the Baptist. There are several thoughts on why Jesus chose to be baptized. One is that “this was the first public declaration of His ministry.” ⁽¹⁾ He chose to be identified with “those who were repenting of their sins”. ^(2). His heavenly Father confirmed his decision to do this.

When we pray, do we expect answers from God? Yes, we do. Can we expect answers to be forthcoming quickly? Not always. God sometimes must withhold His answers until we are ready for them. It is during these times He equips us with what we need in order to receive the answer we seek.

This event in Jesus’ life came eighteen years after He was in the temple where He listened to the reading of God’s word. When Mary and Joseph found him there, He told them, He had to be about His Father’s work. God chose to wait for His Son identify with the common ordinary people before He blessed Jesus with the words at the end of our focus text.

(1) Life Application Bible (NIV), Tyndale House Inc., Zondervan Publishing House, ©1991-page 1797

(2) IBID

Jesus Prayed Alone

dailyverses.net

In those days he went out to the mountains to pray,

and all night he continued to pray to God

Luke 6:12 (ESV)

Jesus had a communication line with his Father. He made use of it regularly. In this passage, Luke speaks of one crucial time, the night before Jesus chose the twelve Apostles. He needed to choose some of his followers as special members of his ministry team.

Jesus must have felt the need to make this a matter of prayer. This was no small need. These men would form the nucleus of his earthly ministry. He continued in prayer. His praying was not a simple sentence, one-time utterance. He prayed repeatedly all night long.

His Father honored that prayer. After Jesus’ resurrection, eleven of these chosen men and another one would carry His message to all parts of the known world. We would not have Christianity in  the world today if Jesus had not prayed for guidance and the wisdom to make the right choices.

Yes, Jesus chose Judas Iscariot as one of the twelve. Could it be possible that God allowed Jesus to choose him because it was in God’s plan that early to use this person in His plan to bring Jesus back to heaven?

Freedom: Knowing the Truth Will Free Us

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So Jesus said to the Jews who believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you know the truth and the truth will set you free . . .Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not stay in the house forever, the son remains forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. “John 8:31-32, 34-36 (ESV)

If you abide in my word, this is a conditional phrase. When we follow God’s word in our daily life, we live God’s Word. 

you are truly my disciples. When we live God’s Word, we model Him. People see Him when they see us.

you will know the truth Jesus tells us He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. When we learn of Him, we gain knowledge of His desires for our lives.

the truth will set you free. When we study God’s Word and apply it to our lives, we will be free of the guilt of our sins. When we should happen to accidentally sin, all we need to do is immediately ask Him to forgive us. When Jesus went to the Cross, He did it in order to take away our sins and the guilt of our misdoings. 

Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. Jesus reminds the Jews that He speaks the truth. He further tells them that if anyone sins, that sin becomes his or her master.

The slave does not stay in the house forever, In the societies that practiced slavery, a slave could be bought and sold at the a whim of the masters.

the son remains forever. In the Jewish faith, a son was a permanent part of each family. This is in direct contrast to the life of a slave.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. This is Jesus’ thought on the subject of freedom for the believers. William Barclay translates it very well. “If the Son shall make you free you will really be free.

Freedom from sin, isn’t that what believers strive for?

Devotion: Seek God

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                Set Your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. 1 Chronicles 22:19 (ESV)

               

                David commanded the people of Israel with these words. Solomon was charged to build the Temple.

I find these words an important message to me at this time in my life. Our church is in transition and people seem to be departing. Our former pastor is retiring from our denomination and will be serving at an interdenominational church in the south part of our county.

Several people have departed because of the unrest in the denomination. Some of us are not certain who else will make this choice.

A dear friend said this morning, “We need to look at what God has in store for us in the future.”

I found this scripture late last year as I chose topics and scriptures for 2019. I recently reviewed my list for this month and read it again. As I began to write some devotional essays at the end of May, this one truly spoke to my heart.

We sometimes get bogged down in what has happened and what we believe will happen when we should look to the LORD and let Him guide us into what He wants to what to give us.

I wish I had learned the lesson of this scripture earlier in my life; I would have been a better Christian and a happier person.

Is there a time in your life where you needed to ‘Set Your mind and heart’ on God and not on what you see around you?