Alone With God

Mat. 13:23 “And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up onto a mountain apart to pray. And when evening had come, He was there alone.”

We live in a culture were we are constantly on the move. We race against time to get things done. There seems to be not enough hours in a day to finish what we start. Jesus, went about His day working to meet the needs of people. Healing, feeding, comforting  and forgiving people who recognize their helpless condition. Yet, He made time to be alone with His Father. How much more necessary is it that we take time out of our day to be alone with God. Time to read His Word, time to meditate of His love, time to worship Him, time for Him to search our hearts, and time to petition Him for our needs and the needs of others. With the demands of the day, it is not always easy to slip away to be alone with God, but it is imperative that we do. When we get alone with God we are able to enter into His presence to pour out our hearts, refresh our spirits, and know the mind of God. With purpose, let us put aside those things that distract us, and draw nigh to God, for He has promise to be there for us. 

The East from the West

Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.”-

“to such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His commandments to do them” God’s love is unconditional. He loves people and desires that people will follow Him. He sent His Son to earth to live and die on a cross that our sins may be cast in the sea of God’s forgetfulness. He rose from the dead that we may experience new life in Christ. His mercy does not over look sin, but His mercy will forgive sin to those who will yield their hearts to Him. To those who keep His commandments and come unto to Him that He may give us rest. His covenant is for us to humble ourselves before the presence of Him and He will take our sins and remove them as far as the east is from the west, never to be remember again. We look back and see how sin destroyed our lives and separated us from His fellowship, but the Lord is Great is mercy to them that fear Him, and will not bring up our past that is under the blood. His blood covers a multitude of sins and are never remember against us again. 

The Eyes of the Lord

1 Pet. 3:12 “ For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”

God is not a respecter of person, but He does have favorites. He give to every person the ability to choose right and wrong, He does not predestinate a person’s choice. His eyes show favor to them that are of a contrite heart, a heart that desire to seek God first in the everyday things of life. The righteous, are those who seek to live in harmony with God, love His commandments and choose to follow them. He listens to the the prayers of those who seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. We don’t always understand His answers and providence, but we can arrest assure that He cares for those who love and serve Him. Those who choose to live a life of wickedness and make choices that are selfish and self-serving, God will strive against them to turn from their wicked ways and repent. Such who resist Him, will face His judgment. For those who desire to live for God, His eyes will rest on them to do them good. 

Stand Before God

Rev. 20:12 “ And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”-

The reality is that we all will stand before God and give an account for the life we lived. There will be no exception, from the beggar in the street, to the kings and rulers that sit in high places. God is keeping a record of our life.  Did we live it to glorify God, or did we live to just please ourselves and our carnal desires? The work of salvation, accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord is written in the Book of Life. Have we experience the new birth? Have we been born again? These are the “works” that determine our eternal destination. There will be no excuses and no augments when we stand before God. There is no hiding for the books will reveal our works. It is sobering to think that we all will give an account after this life is over, and only that done in the Name of Jesus will matter. Standing before God does not have to be a fearful event. If our hearts have been cleaned by the blood of Christ we can stand boldly in that day knowing that we are a child of God and have a conscience void of condemnation. 

To Know God

1 John 2:3,4 “And hereby we know that we know Him: if we keep His commandments.

He that saith, “I know Him,” and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.”-

To know God, is to abide in truth. Keeping God’s commandments is to follow the teachings of Christ to abstained from sin, love those who hate you, and to worship Him with all our hearts. If we love Him we will not do things that bring displeasure to Him. God hates sin and commands us not to do things that are evil, wicked and selfish. To know Him is to walk in light and not live in darkness. If our lifestyle is living to please the flesh and satisfy selfish desires then we have deceived ourselves in thinking we know God. We are living a lie if we have hate in our heart toward our neighbor. We are far from perfect. Life can be frustrating and things happen that can cause us to become bitter and resentful toward others. But knowing Christ is to have His love and Spirit that helps us overcome these feelings that invade our life. If we walk in the the light as He is in the light we can have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Christ will give us the powers to forgive and remain faithful to keep His commandments. Let us live to please God and keep His commandments.

Days of Trouble

Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.”-

We live in a troubled world. History records that every generation has suffered troubles that seem to be worse than as the years continue. No doubt, we live in trouble days. Truth and His Word is no longer the fiber of our country. It is troubling to hear that many are walking away from what was once considered to unchanging truth. Good is evil, and evil is good. In trouble days, we need a Stronghold. We need someone who is able to work miracles in these trouble days.  

Encourage Others

Acts. 4:36 “And Joses, who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, “the Son of Consolation”), a Levite of the country of Cyprus,”

Our personalities are shape genetically and environmentally. The influences that surround us often determine who we are. Barnabas had a way of bringing hope and cheer to those around him. He was a man who looked at life with the glass half full, instead of half empty. He lived after his name. He was a man who encouraged others in the faith. To those who had little, he gave of his own means, to those who others did not accept, he went out of his way to befriend them. No doubt, Barnabas’s personality was shaped also by knowing Jesus. Jesus, the One who changes lives and influences personalities to be kind and giving desires that everyone have a heart the will encourage others to look to God when things get hard. We all can be like Barnabas, bring hope to the hopeless, and encouragement to others who are going through tough times.

God Has Called Us

Ephesians 4:1 “I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.”

Everyone has a calling, everyone has a job to do. God has given us each talents or desires to be something for God. Jesus admonition us to occupy till He returns, keep busy working for the Kingdom. Go forth into the world and live the life that God has called us to. We all are called to live for God and to let our light shine in a world that is darken with sin. We are not called to live as the world, but to live in this world the life of holiness. (1 thess 4:7) The job we have or the work we do may take on various facets. Some are called to minister the Word and some are called to serve the needs of people, others are called to build shelter, or educate the masses. There are many vocations that God may call us to, and He wants us to fulfill our calling to the glory of God. Do them as unto the Lord, and not unto man. What ever God has put into your hand, do it with all your might. (Ecc. 9:10). Let us live worthy of the work that God has called us to do.

Showing Kindness

Eph. 4:32 “and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”-

Kindness is manifest through our action, attitudes, and words. Being kind is done on purpose and with sincerity. True kindness can not be acted out. It comes from a heart that knows the kindness of God. A heart that has experience the forgiveness of sin. We owed a debt we could not pay, but God in His loving kindness paid the debt, showed us mercy and gave us a second chance. It is not always easy to be kind to some people. People who are mean spirited, and use cutting words to hurt people make it difficult to be kind to. More than likely, people like this have been hurt or treated ill in the past. They don’t know what it means to be kind. As Christian, we have the opportunity to show the Kindness of Christ to others by showing acts of mercy, and speaking words of kindness. Let others see Christ in you, even when it is hard to love. It is Christ alone that gives us the grace to be kind one to another and to those who need the love of God. 

To Know The Father

John 8:19 “Then they said unto Him, “Where is thy father?” Jesus answered, “Ye neither know Me, nor My Father. If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also.”

To know the Father, one must know the Son. For the two are the same in One. He who came from heaven was sent from the Father. To know the Father is to know that Jesus came to earth born of a virgin, fully human, yet the conception of this new born was quicken by the Holy Spirit that brought life. Jesus, the God-Man, perfect and without sin. He came to reveal the Love of the Father that we may also know God as our Father. Sin separated us from the Father, but to those who believe in the salvation of Christ have become sons of God and now have access to the Father’s throne. To know the Father, is to know love, grace and mercy. He is a good Father, and every blessing we receive comes from Him. May we find rest in knowing the Father from above. 

We Believe

John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

What does it mean to believe in the Name of Jesus? Many believe and history records that there was a man who walked this earth and His name was Jesus, but to believe in His Name is to believe and accept that He came to save us from our sins. Darkness fills the world because the heart’s of men are darken by the sin in their lives. Believing that Jesus is the Light that will dispel the darkness and bring a person out of sin is to believe in His Name. To those who believe in His name, and have received Him into their lives, He gives them power over sin. Sin no longer has its hold, we are set free from the bondage of sin. Where we were once blind, we now see because we believe. We believe in God the Father, we believe in God the Son, we believe in the Holy Spirit, we believe in the Three in One.  In the face of opposition, and the progressive movement of our day, we must not forget who it is that brings life and we who received Him can stand in this day and know whom we have believed in, and He is able to keep us unto the day of His coming.