God’s Thoughts Toward His People

 

For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)

Words of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah.

The Lord had just informed the exiles, who were being punished for sin, that the promise of peace would be fulfilled in 70 years.

They were to live their lives in Babylon like they would have lived them in Jerusalem. (verses 5-7) He also warns the exiles not to listen to the “false prophets and diviners” in their midst.

Now, I know how long 70 years is-that is seven decades. For a lot of people that is a lifetime. Among those who were originally exiled were some who would never see home again. There were probably many people who only heard stories about Jerusalem.

A lot of people really like the words of this verse and adopt it as their life verse. I was one who did. I saw it every day as I passed a Christian bookstore on the way to my dad’s to pick up my stepmother to take her to radiation treatments.

When I read the context, I learned more of what the verse meant. This practice has made me more aware of what certain passages of scripture truly mean.

He Rewards Faithfulness

 

But, without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

When we go before the LORD, we must believe He is who He says He is. The writer of Hebrews tell us without our believing in Him we cannot please Him. When we go before His throne, there are certain things we must believe:

* He will listen to our pleas.

       If our hearts are in tune with Him.

* He will answer our requests.

      In the way that is best for us and His plan.

* He will reward us for our efforts.

      His rewards may be a lightness of heart.

      He may give us new insight into a concern or a problem.

However, we must concentrate on Him while we seek His guidance.

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.“ Matthew 6:6 (NKJV)

Sometimes, we can follow Matthew 6:6 when we are in a crowd. Other times we can do obey this scripture by physically removing ourselves from the circumstance that needs our prayer.

God’s Kindness and His Mercy

 

 

quiet spirit

 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts, and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward men appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:3-5 (NKJV)

 

When God chooses to extend His kindness and love, He exercises His mercy toward us who are sinners. He does so through the Holy Spirit. None of us are worthy of His love but it is because of His mercy that God extends them to us.

During these times of upheaval in our nation and our world, we must rely on the kindness of God to allow us to keep calm in the light of the circumstances that cause great anxiety in our daily lives.

 

God will guide us through these difficult times, whether they are international, national, or even personal in scope. We must accept His kindness and love to be able to be “more than conquerors.” In today’s world. It is only then that we are able to rise above the circumstances that vex us.

Sorrow turned to Joy

 

Grace Fellowship Chapel

 

Therefore, you now have great sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. And in that day, you will ask me nothing. Most assuredly, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:22-24 (NKJV)

                              

Jesus speaks to His disciples. The words He uses speak volumes to those who believe in Him.

 

 you now have great sorrow

 

            The disciples thought that they would have more time to learn from Jesus, to aid Him in preaching and observe Him healing those who came to Him.

 

            In a similar way, when we lose someone in death, we are never fully prepared. We go through a time of grief.

 

 I will see you again

 

Jesus states these words to the disciples were not fully comprehending His words.

 

 your heart will rejoice

 

Jesus tells them that they will be overjoyed when they will see Him. They must have been confused by these words. How can someone be sad and then rejoice? I imagine they looked at each other with the same question in their minds. “How can this be?”

 

 your joy no one will take from you.

 

Jesus tells them, and us, that the joy we will have when we see Him is so great that it is permanent in our souls. He gives us our joy.

 

 whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you.

 

Jesus instructs the disciples that His Father will honor all supplications and requests that they make, in Jesus’ name to Him.

 

Praying to God for anything in Jesus’ Name tells God that we are praying in the manner that Jesus would.

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. 

Newness of Life

 

K love morning show

 

Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that never perish oil or fade -- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the Salvation that is readily revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1: 3 - 5 (NIV)

 

The Apostle Peter tells us this too tells this 2 those scattered throughout the known world

 

Peter reminds us that God has mercifully given his children new birth. What does this mean to us?

 

Simply put, God gives us a new life because he wanted to. It was nothing we did that caused God to give us a new life. He did it because he loves us.

 

He gave us a living hope. God did this by sacrificing his son, resurrecting him, and taking him back to heaven to rule with himself

 

We received this new life through faith and believed that all things are under God's control because of God's power we have nothing to fear.

 

With all the upheaval going on around us, we can rely on God to be with us and give us strength to be stand what life throws in our way.

 

Father God, thank you for giving us our Salvation thank you for your son who took our sin upon himself so that we might live in his name, Amen

Everlasting Father

 

 

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He shall be called. . . Everlasting Father. . . Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

 

Jesus, the Son of God, is eternal. There is no end to His kingdom. And He is our heavenly Father. We can tell Him anything and He will understand what our thinking is. If we look at something incorrectly, He gently guides us through how we are supposed to think, and He forgives us. He does these things out of His love and grace for us.

 

He willingly forgives us because of His great, undying love for us. His is our Father forever.

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.

God is My Strength

  

crumc/quiet spirit

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, 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

 I will be joyful in God my Savior. 

 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; 

 he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, 

 he enables me to tread on the heights. 

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV)

 The prophet Habakkuk rejoiced in the LORD despite some extremely difficult times. The fruit was not maturing; those trees were not able to blossom. The olive crop failed. These were hard times for the Israelite nation. 

 Yet, Habakkuk chose to rejoice in the LORD. He would find joy in the small things that God did for him. He claims God as his strength, knowing God keeps his feet steady and secure. 

 In our world today, we see the worldwide and national pandemic numbers rising to heights that cause grave concern. We have seen forest fires rage through our western states, hurricanes pelter our southern and eastern states, the advent of killer bees. This past summer, we saw civil unrest move across our nation. Even now, after our presidential election, we still have uncertainty. 

 Whatever side you believe is right in this uncertainty about the election’s outcome, we must realize that God has this and all other issues under His control. We must find some things in our lives in which to rejoice and for which to thank God. 

 We must trust God without reservation, for all that comes into our lives. Abraham left his homeland not knowing where God was leading him. Moses led the Israelite people out of bondage, trusting God as the Israelite people grumbled and complained about everything. Ruth left her native land to accompany Naomi as she went back to her homeland. Ruth did not know if they would make it to Naomi’s homeland or how she would be received by Naomi’s people. 

 Yes, God is our strength. Like Habakkuk, we must believe that no matter what we face.

Our Sins Are Covered

 

 

Psalm 32:1-6

Verses 1-2

 

Blessed is he

Whose transgressions are forgiven,

Whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man

Whose sin the LORD does not count

Against him

And in whom there is no deceit.

 

When we confess our sins, God forgives us. Because He forgives our sins, He blesses us.  

 

Verses 3-4

 

When I kept silent,

My bones wasted away

Through my groaning all day long.

For day and night

Your hand was heavy upon me.

My strength was sapped

As in the days of summer. Selah

 

When we choose not to confess and seek God’s forgiveness, we carry heavy burdens. It is as if those burdens do not let up on us. We begin to believe we are “running on empty.”    

 

 

Verses 5-6

 

 Then I acknowledged my sin to you

And did not cover up my

Iniquity

I said, “I will confess

My transgressions to the LORD”—

And you forgave

The guilt of my sin. Selah

 

When we face up to what we have done that displeased the LORD and admit that we have done wrong and that we are capable of doing wrong in His eyes, God does forgive us of our sin.

Graphic: from  in Medio Ecclesia. blogspot.com

 

 

                                                 

God Forgives Us Of Our Guilt: Psalm 32

livurlif12.wordpress.com

 

Blessed is he

Whose transgressions are forgiven,

Whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man

Whose sin the LORD does not count

Against him

And in whom there is no deceit.

 

When we confess our sins, God forgives us. Because He forgives our sins, He blesses us He does not hold those sins against us.

 

When I kept silent,

My bones wasted away

Through my groaning all day long.

For day and night

Your hand was heavy upon me;

My strength was sapped

As in the days of summer.--Selah

 

When we choose not to confess and seek God’s forgiveness, we carry heavy burdens. It is as if those burdens don’t let up on us. We begin to believe we are “running on empty.” The psalmist asks us to think about this thought. (Selah)

 

Then I acknowledged my sin to you

And did not cover up my

Iniquity

I said, “I will confess

My transgressions to the LORD”—

And you forgave

The guilt of my sin.-- Selah

 

When we face up to what we have done that displeased the LORD and admit that we have done wrong and that we are capable of doing wrong in His eyes, God does forgive us of our sin. He also forgives us of our guilt of that sin.

 

 

Mercy and God’s Love

fourcubitsandaspan.blogspot.com

 

 

Psalm 51:1-4

Have mercy on me, O God,

According to your unfailing love;

According to your great compassion

Blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

And cleanse me from my sin.

 

David pleads for God’s mercy for God to blot out his transgressions, to wash away his sins and remove any trace of sin from his heart.

For I know my transgressions,

And my sin is always before me.

Against you and you only have I sinned

And done what is evil in your sight,

So that you are proved right when you speak

And justified when you judge.

David knows what he did, and he knows it was sinful, and it will always be before him.

 

King David is being honest here. He knows he has been found out. The prophet Nathan confronted him about his affair with Bathsheba and all that entailed. We, who claim to belong to Jesus, must examine our lives and our hearts to find our transgressions and surrender ourselves to God. It is up to each of us to do this for ourselves, no one can do it for us.

David speaks honestly before the LORD. We must do likewise.

 

I am taking a break from blogging. I have some things to take care of and need to get refreshed. I have been running close to empty and need to replenish myself and take care of some other things. I will be back on Tuesday, September 1^st.

 

 

 

 

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.

Forget Not God’s Benefits

ourdailyblossoms.com 

Praise the LORD, O my soul and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. Psalm 103:2-5 (NIV)

David penned these words of praise. With these words, He reminds us of the wonderful gifts the LORD bestows on us, His children. 

forgives all your sins

God, our Father covers our sin with His grace, mercy, and love. All we must do is ask.

heals all your diseases,

He guides us to find ways to control, cure, and to heal our bodies from disease and disorder. He determines whether our healing comes while we are on earth or in heaven with Him.

redeems your life from the pit

When we follow God’s guidance and direction our lives can be lived on a higher level. We do not speak the same language we did before we met Christ. We do not frequent the same places or watch the same shows on television.

crowns you with love and compassion

Our Father looks at us with love and compassion, not contempt, even when we sin.

He stands with us and hurts with us when we go through suffering and times we do not understand.

satisfies your desire with good things

           

Our Redeemer chooses to give us, His children, things to lighten our cares and help us through issues that cause us concern.

your youth is renewed like the eagles.

God gives us all these benefits in order that we can rise above those trying circumstances that come our way as we walk through life.

Blessed

erniebufflo.com 

,

Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

These words, spoken by Jesus, bring comfort to many people who grieve the loss of a loved one.

When a person goes into mourning, Jesus stands beside him or her, and brings comfort. He wraps His arms of love around each of them, draws them close, and whispers needed words into his or her ear.

This scripture speaks volumes to people in our nation during this time of the pandemic.

Those who mourn during these days could not be with their loved ones during their final hours on earth. This adds to their grief.

We don’t know how this Coronavirus got such a hold on our world. Another addition to their grief.

Many of those who lost their lives were elderly and unable to ‘fight back’. I find this personal. I lost a cousin to this disease. I have a couple of friends who each have mothers who are in the same health care facility.

Whatever the source of grief those who are mourning, may they find comfort in these ten words spoken by our LORD Jesus Christ.

God’s Wonderful Saving Grace

quotesgram.com 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift from God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

 it is by grace you have been saved,

Did you ever wonder why God chose to redeem you? I have. God did it because He loves us. We don’t realize how great that grace is at first. When we do, we feel very humbled that He would do all he has done for us.

through faith

The writer of the book of Hebrews defines faith as, “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1)

Some synonyms for faith are trust, reliance, and being confident in another person or a thing.

I have come to believe that our faith is always growing. The faith we had when Jesus saved us is very different than the faith we have after we allow Him to guide us through this life.                                       

 and this not from yourselves,

We can’t do anything to save ourselves from the act of or the consequences of sin. Only God has that power. One reason I believe we are unable to save ourselves from our sin is that we may not realize what God considers sin.

 it is a gift from God

Salvation is truly a gift. We don’t deserve it and we can’t earn it. Any earthly gift we receive is given with love. How much more is the gift of salvation given to us by God because of His love.

 so that no one can boast

We didn’t do anything to save us from sin; therefore, we have no right to boast. God chose to do this for us. Paul reminds the Corinthians in both letters, “Let him who boasts boast in the LORD.”

(1 Corinthians 1:31, 2 Corinthians 10:17)

I have several things God has done for me through the years. Are there things that you can boast that God has done for you?

God’s Steadfast Love

talesfromamother.blogspot.com

I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. O, when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart in my own house; Psalm 101: 1-2 (ESV)

David wrote these words. He speaks of sharing love and justice. We know David was a musician-a harp player.

He tells me ways we should show God’s love to those around us. He chooses to sing and make music. He spends time thinking about how to think about innocence. He chooses to approach household issues with honesty in his heart.

The shepherd king has a lot to tell us in his writings. He uses his experiences to admonish us to confess our guilt to God. Here he tells us that we must live out our faith in God before those who are closest to us. When we choose to do that, we show them our love for God.

Showing our love for God is very simple. We ask Him to guide us in our interactions with those we meet. We beseech Him to give us His eyes to see certain circumstances of life as He sees them. We make these requests daily.

Recently at church, our Children’s Director gave a Children’s Moment message that was how children could show the love of Jesus. She, with the help of the children and some of us in the congregation, sang the following song. She adapted it to say “Jesus smile.”

I've got something in my pocket, it belongs across my face.

I keep it very close at hand, in the most convenient place.

I'm sure you couldn't guess it if you guessed a long, long while.

So, I'll take it out and put it on, it's a Great Big Brownie Smile!

In this process, no matter our age, we grow closer to God and become more like Christ.

Tomorrow Belongs to God

quiet spirit writing ministry

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what tomorrow may bring. Proverbs 27:1 (ESV)

King Solomon gives us sage advice in these 13 words. I believe he gives us sage advice here.

When we plan our days, we should consider that God could take our lives in a different direction. He may have completely different plans for us.

A friend of mine has a major change of any plans she may have had when her daughter was taken to the hospital on Christmas night. The daughter was transferred to another hospital and then to another one.

The daughter had major surgery and spent most of a month in the trauma hospital. My friend came home for a few days and caught a cold. She could not go down to see her daughter because of her symptoms.

I know this friend had to change any plans she had in mind for this month. She also had to change her plans for early December when that daughter had been admitted to a hospital and transferred to another facility.    

God hears our plans. Sometimes, He has different things in mind for us. We must remember that He controls all things, even those plans for a vacation, for a shopping trip, a time out with friends, and even how we spend our free time.

                               

Blessed Be God

Slide Serve

But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me. Psalm 66:19-20 (ESV)

But truly God has listened

Have we ever had times when we KNEW God listened to our prayers? Didn’t we feel thankful for His acting on our requests?

he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Have we realized that God pays attention to even the smallest prayer request we present to Him? No need we have is too small for God to act upon or too small to bother Him with. God also knows our tone of voice as we pray. He knows when we pray for a need out of duty or out of desire.

Blessed be God

When we pray God is pleased to hear us. Although He knows when we have needs; our prayers tell Him we know those needs, our prayers when we ask for forgiveness are especially precious to Him.

he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.

When we who are His children pray, God listens and accepts those adorations, those confessions, those thanks, and those supplications. One of  God’s attributes is love. He loves each and every one of his created children. Because of this steadfast love, He waits patiently for each one to give his or her life to Him for that life to be used by Him to reach others.

Freedom: Knowing the Truth Will Free Us

http://www.soylibreencristo.com

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?