Throughout
the bible, in the New and Old Testaments, we are exhorted to fear God (Prov 3:7;
Mtth 10:28). If we study these words out in the context they are used, the fear
we are discussing is not a terrible, dread but a reverential fear, awe and
respect of our mighty God. In Psalms 111:10 (KJV) we can see the principle
result of this fear in our lives: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise
endureth forever”.
To
fear God is to walk in reverential awe of his might and majesty but it is also
to walk in obedience and praise. The Bible is full of the benefits of fearing
God as we have described that kind of fear above. Read Psalm 112 today to see
these benefits described. This Psalm tells us that the men who fear God are
blessed; walk in the light, are wealthy, righteous, gracious, discrete, full of
faith, fearless, victorious, generous and never moved.
“The
fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he
shall not be visited with evil.” (Prov 19:23) God said that those who feared him
would be his and that he would make them his jewels (Mal 3:16-17). I like that.
Not
so for the men who do not fear God, the Bible tells us it will not go well for them
(Eccl 8:13).
It
would seem you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to make the best decision
here.
This
would be good word to give to someone else. All rights reserved.
Check out our web site ( www.onthewayinlove.com ) for information on our
book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training”, including how to purchase it and
also to see more encouraging Bible based blogs. Please recommend our book to
others.
Peace
I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto
you. Let your heart be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27; KJV).
The word for “peace” here is “eirene” which means; a state of tranquility, rest
and confidence in our relationship with Christ Jesus no matter what is happening
around us.
Notice
that Jesus leaves us his peace but we have a part to play too. We must not
allow agitation, anxiety or permit fear. 1 Peter 3:11 says that we must search
for peace and seek it eagerly. Seek in this context is not passive but means an
active, aggressive and persistent search.
Isaiah
wrote that if we truly trust God and keep our focus on him, we can enjoy his perfect
peace (Isa 26:3). The writer of Psalm 119 put it a little differently in
writing that if we loved God’s word, we would enjoy great peace (Ps 119:165).
The
Bible also says that God is our peace and we must allow it to: "rule in
our hearts" (Col. 3:15). If that is the case then to enjoy this peace, we
need to meditate on it, confess it and believe it.
Please
pass this on. All rights reserved.
“But
seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things
shall be added unto you” (Matt 6:33-34; KJV). This verse in Matthews Gospel is
part of an exhortation that we should not worry about the things we need, as
God will supply. God answers all of our prayers as long as we ask according to his
word (1 John 5:14-15) and in faith (Mark 11:24). In fact, Jesus said to Martha
before he raised Lazarus from the dead: “Did I not say to you that if you would
believe you would see the glory of God" (John 11:40-41)?
As
Christians we sometimes need to learn to take the limits off of God, to let him
out of the tiny box of expectations that we keep him in. We serve a mighty God,
one who created the universe and each of us (Gen 1). James tells us that: “Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father
of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James
1:17). That’s every good and perfect gift, and notice it says that God does not
change.
The
Bible tells us that God wants to open the floodgates of heaven on our lives and
bless us so abundantly that we won’t have room to contain it (Mal 3:10). In
Ephesians it is written that our God can; “do exceedingly abundantly above all
that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20) and in First Corinthians (2:9) Paul tells us
that man cannot fathom, grasp or appreciate with his senses all that God has
for those who love him.
If
we genuinely love and seek after God it is his heart’s desire to bless us in
every way possible.
Help
someone to expand their vision of God with this blog. All rights reserved.
Check out our web site ( www.onthewayinlove.com ) for information on our
book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training”, including how to purchase it and
also to see more encouraging Bible based blogs. Please recommend our book to
others.
“My
voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer
unto thee, and I will look up" (Ps 5:3; KJV). Here’s the best way to start
your day; this verse perfectly illustrates what prayer is; a two-way
conversation with God. King David prayed to God and looked to him for his reply.
You
don’t have to follow any set rules for prayer, and you don’t need to try and
pray like some other person that you admire; God just wants us to pray from our
heart and be ourselves; that simple!
We
also know that Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer, and if it was important for
him, then how much more so for us. We also learn from John16:23 that we should
pray to God the Father in Jesus name; and if we pray according to God's will
then we will receive what we ask for. (1 John 5:14,15).
There
are many positive results from developing a prayer life, the main one being
that we will get to know God better and we will therefore become more like him.
Pray
and ask God who to send this on to. All right reserved.
Check out our web site ( www.onthewayinlove.com ) for information on our
book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training”, including how to purchase it and
also to see more encouraging Bible based blogs. Please recommend our book to
others.
Do
you have a heart's desire to be more like Jesus each day, to walk in his ways, his
power and to live the God kind of life? The abundant life Jesus talks about in
John 10:10 is the kind of life God lives. Jesus said we could be perfect as God
the Father is perfect (Matt 5:48).
It's
God's word that brings life: “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on
him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciple indeed; And ye shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John. 8:31-32, see also Prov
4:22). God’s word has the power to change us (Heb 4:12, Isa 55:11) and can work
in us to bring that change about (1 Thess 2:13).
How
do we tap into the life changing power of God's word? Well the writer of Psalm
119 shows us the way. He sought God with all his heart (v10) and treated God's
word with awe, as a great treasure (v161-162). The writer said he hid the word
in his heart and did not forget it (v11,16). He asked God to teach him (v12),
he rejoiced and delighted in God's word (v14,16), meditated it (v15) and spoke
it out loud (v13). I guess it was a priority to this writer; do you get the
picture?
Please
pass this on. All rights reserved.
Check out our web site ( www.onthewayinlove.com ) for information on our
book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training”, including how to purchase it and
also to see more encouraging Bible based blogs. Please recommend our book to
others.