Heavens Declare God

 Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shews his handiwork.

Being creatures of curiosity and discovery, we look to the sky above us and marvel at the vastness of the universe. Man, in its quest to explore the unknown and discover what is beyond our atmosphere, continues to seek technology to go farther into the unknown. We let our imagination run wild with all the fantasy movies that flood the entertainment world. It is without question that there is a Mastermind behind all that we see in the heavens. The Psalmist realized this as he gazed upward and observed the multitudes of stars that glittered in the night sky. Even without the modern space technology we have today, he could see that God’s handiwork was evident. From the vastness of the universe to the microscopic world of atoms and molecules, God's glory is declared. Man without God, looks for ways to explain the existence of our world and the world’s beyond our human sight, but one cannot deny that mere chance did not make all this happen. The Bible speaks clearly of this creation, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Col. 1:16. The Apostle’s Creed begins with, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth...” I believe He is who He says He is. “Open our eyes Lord, let us see your glory.”

Speech Season with Salt

 Colossians 4:5-6
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Overseers and those who have been charged to rule are given a responsibility to lead with love and grace.  Seasoning your conversation with salt. What does that look like? How we treat and speak to those in our charge is important to the spreading of the gospel and the impact it will have on others who are watching. It is not only important in what we say, but how we say it. We can be caught up in trying to be right, that we lose the purpose of our message. We don’t have time arguing for the sake of being right, people need to know that God is good and desires to show Himself with love and grace to a world that is lost. Adding salt to the words we say. Salt is a flavor enhancer, it brings out sweetness to food. Salt can also counteract bitter flavors in food. Adding words of kindness and being sensitive to others in the words we speak will go a long way showing Christ to others. Salt is also a preservative. Many disease-causing microbes are also simply unable to grow in the presence of salt. Our words and speech can help temper a conversation from turning bad and hateful. Let God be our overseer in our speech and conversations. Words mean things and can be very powerful in influencing others for good or evil. Let our speech be always in harmony with what is pleasing to God and glorifying Him

God Sees & Knows You.

 Psalm 147:3,5
He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds..Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

Does God really understand what we are going through? The current world population is almost 8 billion people. Does He really care about you and me? I see the mass of people each day go about their daily life and routine, and wonder what God is doing in their lives. Luke says, “But even the very hairs of our head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” The great power of God not only sees each person that walks this earth, but He knows everything about us, even the number of hairs on our head. Wow! How amazing is our God! He is the “Way Maker, Miracle worker, Promise keeper, Light in the darkness, healing the broken hearts and binding people’s wounds, My God, That is who you are!” We may feel insignificant and small in the eyes of others, but in the eyes of God, He sees and hears the cry of our heart and our desire to love and serve Him. He is not only an Omnipotent God , but He is also Omniscient, He knows what troubles you, He knows the burdens you carry, and what is causing your heart to break. Jesus says, “Fear not.” Cast your cares on Him, for Jesus cares about you. You are not alone, He will not leave you or forsake you.

What Do We Really Need?

 Philip 4:19
But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
What do we really need? Human survival is dependent on food, water, and shelter, the basic needs to stay alive. Going without for any stretch of time will eventually lead to death. Good people who are Christians have died from lack of food and water. Lack of proper shelter from the elements of nature and casualty of war have brought death to many good people who have known God. So, did God not supply their needs during these times? We also know that all things work together for good for us according to His purpose. What do we really need? We need God’s grace, God’s help during hard times, times when all seems to be going wrong. We need His strength, His love and peace. Peace that passes all understanding. We may not receive what we think we need to stay alive on this earth, but our lives are according to the will of God and His purpose. Grace to live, and grace to die. Jesus, He is all that I need.

Sanctified Heart

1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

The doctrine of sanctification was flush out in its current teaching by John Wesley and other circuit rider preachers in the 17th century. The teaching to live holy and blameless in Christ is a Pauline Epistle teaching given to us by the Apostle Paul in the first century, and in this scripture, Peter instructs us to be sanctified.  The idea that Christian should have a sanctified heart is not something that the earlier founders of Wesleyan conjectured from some new revelation given to them. It was a revival of God’s word, revealing to us the life that God desires all His children to live. The word sanctify shows up in scripture in many different contexts, but the root of the word is to make holy or to set apart. God desires that our heart be made holy and used for His glory. A sanctified heart does not mean that a person is perfect in their humanity, but their heart’s can be perfect before God in motives and intentions. The world will do everything to discount the life of a Christian who stands for truth and righteousness. As Christian we are to be ready to give an answer to the unbeliever, the hope of Christ that lives within us. Our witness for Christ should reflect the life of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer to live a life blameless before the world. A heart that is sanctified is not infallible to failure, but it will empower a Christian to overcome temptation and live right before God and those who are watching our walk with Christ.

Walk in the Spirit

 Gal 5:24,25
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts…If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

It is the lust of the flesh, the carnal sinful nature of man that wars against us walking in the Spirit. Having accepted the gift of God, salvation through Christ, our lives have been transformed. Our sins have been washed away in the blood of Jesus. Those things that we have done in the past have all been put to death. We no longer live to gratify the lust of sinful flesh. The experience of holiness, or sanctification provides us with the filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As we walk in the light of God, we come to a place in our lives that we have not only put to death the lust of our flesh, but we surrender the totality of our being. Everything we have, everything we are given to God. We learn to live and walk in the Spirit, giving us the power to triumph over sin and the temptations that Satan brings before us. What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? Walking in the Spirit is to yield ourselves to what God wants and desires of us, to live blameless and without filling the lust of the flesh. If we fail to walk in the Spirit, He is faithful to call us back to Him. Paul was clear that if we continue to live a life fulfilling the lust of the flesh, that we cannot inherit the kingdom (heaven). Living, and walking in the Spirit will keep us faithful to the way God wants us to live.

The Sabbath Day

 Exodus 16:26, 30, 20:8
 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none…So the people rested on the seventh day…Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
My Bible journaling is an attempt to read scripture and look for meaning and application to the way I believe we should live as Christians. The sabbath day, its meaning,  implication and observation is a topic that many have written books about. From the OT sabbath to the NT sabbath, there is no question that the sabbath is a vital part of scripture. It is one of the Ten Commandments written by the hand of God on the tablet of stone given to His people. It is set apart from the ceremonial law that foretold the coming of Christ and the shedding of His blood. The law in the OT was clear that man would work 6 days and rest on the 7th day. A day of rest from the labors of the week. Additional laws written by man have been added to detail what was laborious. The coming of Jesus shed new light on the sabbath and its meaning. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Because Jesus rose on the 1st day of the week, conquering the grave and death, and the disciples soon after practice meeting together on the 1st day of the week it established a new day to worship. This day over time became the Christian Sabbath. For centuries, the laws and practices of the OT in keeping the Sabbath have been made part of the Christian faith. It is argued that Jesus’s death did not do away with the keeping of a day of rest and worship. The coming of Jesus did not do away with the other nine commandments. Why was it important that the keeping of the sabbath be one of the ten commandments? This is not an attempt to tell anyone what can and cannot be done on this special day, but it is an attempt for us to examine our hearts and ask God, how does He want me to keep the Sabbath day holy? It is a special day, how do I honor Him on this day? Examine the scriptures, ask God to reveal His word to you, and how it should be applied. The Holy Spirit is faith to lead you and me into the way He wants us to live. Ultimately, in everything we do, we are doing it for the glory of God.