Thank you, Lord, for your protection, for being the Rock that I can stand on! Show me where I am to walk. You are so awesome and mighty! Thank you for Your great salvation.
0 Comments
Ever blessed are those who put their trust in the strength of the Lord for He will bear them up. Labouring under the curse and by the sweat of his brow, man toils under a fell weight-and to his futility. Therefore, this promise of rest is a sure comfort to be felt by all of God's children. God, in His grace and beneficence, will bring all His people into an eternal Sabbath rest. No more, forever, need we worry that our work would be toilsome or labourious. His yoke is made easy and His burden made light-and so it is out of this rest that the child of the King will work joyfully for the welfare of the Kingdom. Praise the Lord for His ever-abounding goodness and mercy upon the saved!
(BLB) "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1, NASB).
How do you think others view you? The apostle Paul wanted to be known as a servant. A genuine servant of Christ is characterized by humility. He or she is not concerned about status, but service. Paul told the folks in Corinth to regard him this way; not as an apostle par excellence, but as a "servant." The Greek word he used that's translated "servants" is úperétes which means "an under-rower." The Roman war galleys were common sights to the Corinthians. These war galleys were propelled mainly by rowing. Everyone knew that the lowest deck of the galley was filled with two long rows of benches where dozens of oarsmen, usually slaves, sat chained to the ship and to each other. The oarsmen generally were prisoners of war or criminals, many of them would rarely see freedom again. It was common for several men to handle each oar as their combined weight was needed to raised the oar out of the water and their combined strength was needed to pull it. In front of them, sitting on a raised platform was the Captain of the ship; the galley slaves fixed their eyes on him, and did whatever the Captain commanded. "Under-Rowers," "Galley Slaves"—That’s the word Paul chooses to describe himself. Paul is saying "we're not supermen, we're servants of Christ—our eyes are fixed on Jesus, and we do whatever He tells us to do! Whatever He tells us to say, we say! Our responsibility is to follow His orders!" We are just "servants of Christ." Just "under-rowers" helping to propel the ship of grace over the water of time until we reach our harbor safe in heaven. (Commentary Mark Martin) Matthew 5:14-15
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives produces a light that is meant to be seen and to attract people to Jesus. C.H. Spurgeon wrote: "Lamps do not talk, but they do shine. A lighthouse sounds no drum, beats no gong, and yet far over the waters, its friendly spark is seen by the mariner. So let your actions shine out your religion. Let the main sermon of your life be illustrated by all your conduct." God's hands are a place of incredible power and awesome majesty:
"I see God… the Holy One coming… His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden" (Habakkuk 3:3-4). God's hands are good: "For on the first of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, because the good hand of his God was upon him" (Ezra 7:9, NASB). "According to the good hand of our God upon us…" (Ezra 8:18, NASB). "…And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me" (Nehemiah 2:8, NASB). Being in God's hands is a place of satisfaction: "The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing" (Psalm 145:15-16). God's hands shape us: "And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand" (Isaiah 64:8). God's hands guide us: "If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me" (Psalm 139:9-10). (Additional commentary Mark Martin) "I see God… the Holy One coming... His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden" (Habakkuk 3:3-4). "You've done everything you can, you need to leave it in God's hands now…" Has anyone ever said that to you? Have you ever said that to someone? I wonder if we really know what we're saying? What does it mean to "leave things in God's hands"? What kind of a place would "God's hands" be? Are we really safe in God's hands? This is a study that has really blessed me, I could hardly wait to share it with you today! Let's look at what the Bible has to say about God's hands. God's hand secures us: "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:28, AMP). God's hand protects us: "Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10, NASB). God's hand brings fulfillment: "He said, 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hand…'" (1 Kings 8:15, NASB). "You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father. You made that promise with your own mouth, and with your own hands you have fulfilled it today" (2 Chronicles 6:15). God's hand corrects us: "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time..." (1 Peter 5:6, NASB). God's hand supports us: "My soul clings to Thee; Thy right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63:8). "The Lord sustains all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down" (Psalm 145:14). God's hand strengthens us: "I was strengthened according to the hand of the LORD my God upon me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me" (Ezra 7:28b, NASB). God's hand abundantly provides for us: "O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and all is Yours" (1 Chronicles 29:16, NASB). "This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the LORD his God was upon him" (Ezra 7:6, NASB). "And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me" (Nehemiah 2:8b, NASB). Your future is in His hands: "My future is in your hands…" (Psalm 31:15a). You are safe in God's Hands! What a place to be! (Commentary Mark Martin) In the mind and heart of Jude, it wasn’t enough to have mercy, peace, and love added to the life of the Christian. He looked for multiplication instead of simple addition.
"It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going" (Hebrews 11:8). God encourages us by recording faith-steps of some of the men and women of the Old Testament. Abraham is mentioned more frequently in the New Testament than any other Old Testament character. Abraham is the only person in the Bible referred to as God's friend. "But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend" (Isaiah 41:8, ESV). "…and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness'—and he was called a friend of God" (James 2:23, ESV). But Abraham was not always a friend of God. He grew up as a pagan unbeliever. He didn't grow up in a godly home. He wasn't taught the truth—he worshiped the moon and probably the sun (Joshua 24:2). He was like us; not any more righteous, not better or more holy. Abraham is an example of God's great grace. God took the initiative to call Abraham. "As always, God took the initiative. Out of the depths of His great heart of love, God spoke to the depths of Abraham's empty, yearning heart." (John Phillips, Exploring People of the Old Testament, p. 69) (Additional commentary by Mark Martin) Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. (John 15:16)
We are given unto a sacred task. We, the chosen and whole congregation of the saints, are built into a habitation for the Spirit of God that we should be enabled for the purpose set before us. We are called and chosen by God to go unto the world and add to the kingdom triumphant. So go and bring forth fruit O people of the resurrection. (BLB) |
Authorhttps://www.facebook.com/Its-Not-About-Me-Its-About-You-Jesus-137394136305292/ Archives
July 2017
Categories |