Love Others-1 Thess4:11

 1 Thess 4:11
… for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another…And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.
God, in the person of Jesus, taught mankind to love others as you would want to be loved. When his disciples complained about others doing things in His name, they were critical and fault finding. Jesus told them to mind their own business and focus on what was important. Following Jesus, implies that one follows His teachings. Jesus was kind and compassionate, sin was never tolerated and excused, but love never closed the door of people who were in need or people who had a different opinion. There is too much to do for the Kingdom, and no time to stick our nose in other people’s affairs. Loving others does not mean that you condone others behavior in regard to God’s commandment, but it does mean, that even though others are not doing what is right, that we need to show God’s love by sharing with others that Jesus loves them.

River in the Desert

 Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
The desert is a dry and lonely place. Spiritually, we may be going through a dry spell. A time where God’s presence seems to be far away. We go each day going through the motions of life without praying through and touching God. The spiritual wilderness, not knowing always which way to go. Doubts and fear creep in causing our faith to drain. Wait, what is that I hear? The sound of many waters is near. I see a river in the desert and it is drawing oh so near. God is doing a new thing! He is able to bring new life when it appears that we have exhausted all of our strength. There is a river making its way through our desert. Drink of the water, He is doing a new thing in our lives. Do you not perceive it? Lift up your eyes, for God is working. He is able to make a way through the wilderness, and leads us all the way.

God’s Unchanging Hand

 Isaiah 41:13
I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Hold on to God’s Unchanging Hand- An old song that was written by Jane Wilson in 1905. The message conveyed the thought that God is the same today, yesterday, and forever more. He does not change. His promises are the same today as they were when He First spoke them. He has not changed today. He is the same God who promises to take hold of our hand and will carry us through any situation or problem we may be facing. We hold on to these promises that He will not let us go. Keep our hand in His, let him lift us up, guide our steps, and wrap us in His arms of tender care.

Abide in the Vine

 John 15:4
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

As much as we may try to be a good person and do what we think is right, it still comes short of bearing the fruit that God requires. In the secular world that we live in, the number one priority is humanity, unfortunately half the US population does not consider you to be human until your lungs take the first breath outside of the mother’s womb. Humanism is a religion or way of life that puts humans before it will be considered the creator of humanity. Humanism seeks to bear fruit without Christ. Real fruit can only come from abiding in the true Vine. All other fruit is fake fruit that appears to be the real things, but is not derived from the true source. Your fruit is fruitless in the eyes of God, if it does not stem from the true source. He or she may be a good person because they act good and do good deeds, but such is not necessarily evidence that such a person is abiding in Him.

Stand for what is Right

 2 Kings 1:10
“If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!”

The boldness of Elijah the prophet in the face of being outnumbered required faith in One who can beat the odds. The odds were against him in every way, but he stood his ground for what he thought was right. I don’t pretend to know why God allowed 102 men to die because of the foolishness of a wicked king, but it does demonstrate to us that our decisions do have an impact on the lives of others. God came through for Elijah and put in the heart of the 3rd captain to honor the prophet and his God. Elijah boldly did what God wanted him to do, and God honored him and his faith. We often face things in our lives that may scare or frighten us, but we serve a big God and He knows the weakness of those that are against us. Let us stand for right and truth and allow God to work the circumstances in our lives.

Keep The Sabbath

 Deut. 5:12
Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.

What was the purpose of keeping one day out of the week special? A day to be set apart from all the other days to focus on holy things. A day to pull away from the 
demands of labor and rest the body. This is one of the Ten Commandments that God gave to man to follow and observe. Many feel this commandment is no longer required in the dispensation of grace. That Christ is  Lord of the Sabbath, and therefore we have been set free from keeping this commandment. The New Testament does not specifically command in writing that we keep the sabbath day as they did in the OT. But, there are many references in the New Testament that the disciples met on the first day of the week to commemorate the life and death of Christ. A day where they gathered together to break bread and learn more about Jesus. Just like tithing of one’s income the principle of keeping this commandment is conducive to drawing closer to God. It is just good holy practice, and God delights in our willingness to set apart a special day in our lives where we focus on Him. Jesus made it clear that keeping the Ten Commandments does not save us from our sin, but keeping them does show that we love Him and desire to please Him in the way we live. Keeping the Sabbath and paying tithe will not get you to heaven, but to those who love Him, there is a desire to do what is right and holy. 
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Isiah 58:13

Judgment of God

 Amos 5:24
But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Justice and judgment will some day fall on those who commit wrongdoing. It may not happen in this life, but in the end God will have the final word. Our nation and those who support the abortion of the unborn babies will someday face God and give an answer to their actions. Sin will not continue without justice. The judgment of God will also fall on those who profess to be religious, but have denied the power of the Spirit to control their lives. They give lip service to the things of God, but their lives are lived in opposition to God’s will. Our only escape is the blood of Jesus. His blood will atone for all our sin and unrighteousness. We have no other escape from the judgment of God. Yes, God is love, but the wages of sin is death. Because God so loved the world, he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Jesus should not perish (suffer the judgment of God),  but have everlasting Life. John 3:16