Whiter Than Snow

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Sin is not removed by the acts of good deeds. It is a stained that is stamped deep in the heart of mankind. The root of evil is rebellion against God and an unwillingness to believe that God is holy and just. Sin, conceived in the heart of man since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of creation rules the nature of man. But also within the heart of man is a desire to know God, and to find meaning in life. Though our sins be as a stain that cannot be removed, God entreats us to come to Him. Christ died to remove the stain of sin from our heart. He, who is sinless, gave His life for you and me. Even if our heart is wicked, heinous, and commits immoral acts, we can come to Him in confession. God is not unreasonable. He is a God of grace and love. No matter the sin, He is willing to forgive and remove. He is able to wash our sins away and give us a heart that is whiter than snow.

Be Still

Psalm 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Life moves so quickly and everyday is filled with things to do.  Finding time to stop and get still before God becomes even more important than ever. Getting to know God does not happen by accident. If we desire to know Him in a way that is personal, we need to find a place to be alone with Him. Take time out of our busy schedule to think on His power, love, mercy, and grace. Take time to praise Him for who He is and exalt His name. Put way the things in our lives that clutter our thoughts just for a moment, and let our heart be warmed by His presences. Solace is found when we can empty ourselves and let God fill us with His Spirit. Like a river, He desires to flow in us and through us. 

The Command to Love

1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

A command is to give an authoritative order. God gave the Ten Commandments to His people, and ultimately to the world. The finger of God wrote them on a stone to signify permanency. These commandments were not to change base on time and culture. They were commands that would guide men and women to live righteously before God. These commandments are stilling the guiding principles that we base many of our laws in our country. It is impossible to make someone love someone else. The command to love is base on our desire to please God. Because He first loved us, we love Him. God’s requirements for all that want to follow Him is to put our trust in Jesus Christ. Believing on Him is the first step to loving one another as we should. The command to love can only be accomplished when we follow the command to believe. Once we give our live to Christ, He puts in our heart a desire to love. The ability to love in spite of the circumstances is made possible by the Holy Spirits that lives within us. It is through the power of His Spirt that God’s love can work through us. It is not the love brought through any human means, but divine love that comes only from God. 

Be Patient

James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Patiences is not one of my known virtues, especially if my waiting is caused by someone who is inconsiderate of my time. But not all circumstance that try our faith are caused by someone else. Life happens, and we are often face with having to ask for patience. There are somethings in life when no-one is at fault. God has ordained the testing of our faith. He wants us to look to Him and trust Him that He has everything under control. In this we rejoice, knowing that God has a plan. God desires that we seek Him for wisdom when we are faced with situations that test our faith. Patience to trust Him and hold steady and wait on God to take care of the problem. Lack of patience is an indication of instability and a faith that is weak. “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” -v4

Thanks For All He Has Done

Roman 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

We often take the things around us for granted. We get use to having things happen and they become just apart of normal life. The reality is that life is not the way we see it in many parts of the world. It is not until we are stripped of our comforts and the things we take for granted are taken away from us, that we realize how good we have it. I sit in my beautiful home and thank God for providing such luxury. My coffee is ready to go at the push of a button, the water in my shower is heated to a nice refreshing temperature, and my home automatically will warm up and take the chill out of the air. All things are given by Christ and we are recipients of this blessing. It is good to often push the pause button of life and reflect on the goodness of God. We don’t do it enough, I don’t do it enough. To God be the glory for all He has done. 

Why Is Church Imporant

Col 3: 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

The importance of gathering together as a body of believers is base on Bible principles. The argument that one does not need the “church” to be close to God and does not need to go to church to worship God is not sound Biblical teaching. The unity of believers is base on a diversity of people coming together to meet under the banner of Christ. This is not possible if one keeps themselves in the solitude of their home or in nature. Yes, God can be found anywhere where hearts seek after Him, but the richness of Christ in found in the bond of love that is seen in those that follow Him. Let this love of Christ that dwells in all believer be the unity that brings believers together to encourage themselves to serve Christ. One cannot admonish another person if such person does not gather to worship with the assembly.  “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Heb.10:25. The importance of assembling together is a Biblical teaching that should not be taken lightly. The end is soon approaching and we need each other. There is strength in unity. We need to put aside our differences and focus on what we hold as truth. The banner of Christ is love.

Living For What Matters

2 Corinth 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We are pilgrims just passing through. This is not our home. This earth is a temporal dwelling place and this body is also temporal. The physical elements of this world will some day all melt away. The things that really matter in life are those things that we cannot see. There is life after death. We all will stand before God and give an account for the life we live. Did we strive only to gain the riches of this world? Did we take time to invest in things not of this world? Did we seek those things that are above? Where our heart is, so is our treasure. Life is but a viper, here for a moment and then gone. Others may remember your life, but they too will also will pass away. The things that matter in this life are seen in the priorities in the choices we make. Let us make choices that will last for eternity. Live your life to be a vessel unto holiness, a vessel broken and spilled out for God.

A Servant's Heart

Luke:22:27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

The culture of this world has define greatness by a person’s power, position, and possessions. Jesus set the record straight. It is not the person who has risen to the top of their class that defines greatness. If given a choice, most people would choose to be rich, famous and be served at a voice command.  The attitude of servanthood goes contrary to human nature. No one like being told what to do and how to do it. It goes against our nature. We want to have control over our own life.  Jesus asked the question, is it better to serve or be served? He concludes that His purpose in coming to this world was to serve. The Son of God, the most powerful being known to man washing the feet of sinful man. Being a true servant is a choice. Serving out of duty or obligation is not the attitude of someone who has a servant’s heart. Living takes on different priorities when we seek to serve others. Looking for opportunities, and being willing to sacrifice time and comfort to help others in need. 

Landmarks In Our Lives

Joshua 4: 7 ..these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

Putting the pass behind us and moving forward is good advise. We should not let the things in our pass keep us from going forward with God. But the pass is not all bad, it is good to take some time in our busy lives and stop to remember all that God has done. The journey behind us is filled with sorrow and tears, but along the way we see how God has walked beside us. The landmarks in our lives can be a reminder of the mercy of God and His grace that took us through a difficult time. Landmarks that tell of His provisions when we He answered our prayers. It is good to put down some memorials, a place to point to show others that our God is Jehovah-Jireh, He who provides for all our needs.

Sins Removed

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

On a flat plain where there are no curves, and space never ceases, the east and west shall never meet. Forgetting things that impact our lives is something we don’t easily forget. Our sins grieve the heart of God, but in His love and mercy He forgives our sins when we come to Him in humility and confession. He forgives and removes them to a place where He remembers them no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul, who forgives all my iniquities heals my broken heart. The guilt of sin is gone and life is made new again. Daily blessed with the benefits of His grace and mercy. Bless the Lord O my soul!

Follow Your Heart

Matt. 2:2 Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Within the heart of every person is a desire to find God. To find meaning and purpose in life.We all seek for something that is higher than us. The Magi from the east came looking for a king. These were men who sought to know the truth and went a far off to find it. There only purpose was to worship this king that was revealed to them by God. They were not raised with the knowledge of the Torah. Divinity awoke a desire in their heart to seek and find this king. They followed the dictates of their heart and followed the star. God puts in the heart of every man a longing to know God. Through the nature of God’s creation, He has revealed Himself to mankind. God has given the gift of conscience to all born to this world. the measure of light may vary for each, but He is always faithful to speak to all who are willing to listen. Follow your heart, follow the star, and worship Him.

His Grace Makes us Perfect

1 Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

His grace will make you perfect. Christian Perfection is too often confused with being flawless and without error. This body has lived under the curse of sin since the fall of Adam. The body grows fatigue, the mind is subject to misunderstanding and proper judgement. On this earth, we can never obtain this type of perfection. The grace that God provides will be the strength to do what is right, when right is known. We can be perfectly submitted to the will of God and His plan for our life. The notion that Christians cannot live a perfect life in Christ is base on a false premise. Must Christians sin in thought, word, and deed? Is this a state of being that God’s grace is not able to help? As Paul would say, “God forbid”. The limitation of human perfection are real, but God’s grace can establish and settle the heart within each believer to always do what is right with a motive to please God. That is the grace of God at work.

Greater Witness

John 5:37  And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

In the court of law, truth is validated by witnesses. People who can testify to what they saw or heard. They give a first hand account of what happen. Without witnesses to bare the testimony, it is just one person’s word against another. There is no greater witness of the person of Jesus than to be validated by the Father. He is the true witness that confirms that Jesus is who He says He is. He is the Son of God, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is God in the flesh come to earth to be the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world. In Him, dwells the eternal truth. His truth is a two edge sword. The truth that reveals sin, and the truth that is able to save us from sin. The truth of His love, grace and mercy.  We need no greater witness.

Great is the Lord

1 Chronicles 29:11b Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty:…

How great is our God, how great is His name. The heaven declare His glory and the elements of the earth His praise. The rocks cry out His praise for He is all powerful and through Him victory is won. We magnify the Lord for He is worthy of praise and glory. We only need to look around us and marvel at His creation. He is the creator of life. All life is given to us by Him. “In my mother womb was I made and formed” declared the Psalmist. Great is the Lord and worthy to be praised.