I can hardly think of more beautiful words in all of the Hebrew testament from God to his people. To speak unto his people in those ancient of days and then just to think about these realities in our own lives right now, through Christ.
So, I just want you to just let these words of God fall on your heart, to hear God saying to you, fear not, I have redeemed you. I have saved you from your sin. I have made you my son or daughter. You are my child; I have called you by name.
Oh, let these thoughts God has towards you everyday quietly soak in, the God of the universe has called your name. He says, you are mine, you belong to him. What an amazing thought. In my life today I belong to God, you belong to God.
Isaiah 43:1-7 Authorized (King James) Version
43 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob,
and he that formed thee, O Israel,
Fear not: for I have redeemed thee,
I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;
and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3 For I am the Lord thy God,
the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:
I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
4 Since thou wast precious in my sight,
thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee:
therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
5 Fear not: for I am with thee:
I will bring thy seed from the east,
and gather thee from the west;
6 I will say to the north, Give up;
and to the south, Keep not back:
bring my sons from far,
and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
7 even every one that is called by my name:
for I have created him for my glory,
I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
The Lord says to us, do not fear for, I am with you, you are mine. God calls us by our name, and He is with us when we are in rough waters. He restores our soul. When we are afraid, we are stuck in a difficult place it is not a dead-end because our God is with us. We need not be afraid for His light is shining, though, and the dark cannot, will not overtake us. For our Heavenly Father, has redeemed us, and He will never leave us. Our God is always with us, for we are His people.
God is with us always, for we are His people.
God loves us, even while we are sinners, His sworn enemies! Romans 5:8-10
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
It is very empowering and indeed, inspiring, to hear such words spoken to us.
Yet, there are always questions and thoughts lingering in the background. We think on these words, how wonderful they are and then wonder how on earth they can possibly apply to me – because “I know me better than anyone else!”
“Celebrate God as God Celebrates Me”
Do you care about who God celebrates?
Do you care if God celebrates you?
“Embrace God as God Embraces Me”
Do you care about who God embraces?
Do you care about God embracing you?
“Approve of God as God Approves of Me”
Does God Wonder whether or not you approve of Him?
Do You Wonder If God Approves of You as you approve of Him?
Do you wonder why the Creator of all the universe would desire to celebrate you? Do you wonder why the Author of all life would desire to embrace you?
Do you care about God’s approval?
Do you care if God approves of you?
Do you care or wonder if God is 1% pleased with your worldly life, absent Him?
Psalm 13 Authorized King James Version
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever?
how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
having sorrow in my heart daily?
how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God:
lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
4 lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him;
and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
5 But I have trusted in thy mercy;
my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
6 I will sing unto the Lord,
because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
Do you care enough about God as He cares about you to stop whatever it is you are doing to just sing unto the Lord because he hath dealt bountifully with you?
Do you wonder if God is 1% pleased with your Christian life? How can you make sure that God approves of your life which he gave you? For approval, there has to be law/rules, an approver and someone who needs approval. Imagine a form that you have to fill out to get approval from God. What will that form be? What should be the information in that form to get God’s approval? Let us find out.
Imagine a form that you have to fill out to get approval from God. What will that form be? What should be the information be in that form to get God’s approval?
What does it mean to “Approve?”
To Approve, per Webster’s dictionary means to officially agree to or accept as satisfactory, prove.
So, how should our form to be seeking God’s approval begin to take shape?
1. Background Check: Anything we do for someone else requires a background. In the case of our seeking God’s approval for ministry, work in His Kingdom, I see God taking in our “big picture” of who we are when no one else is looking.
Do we walk with the “sluggards” the habitually lazy persons? Proverbs 6:6, Proverbs 6:9, Proverbs 10:26, Proverbs 13:4, Proverbs 20:4, Proverbs 26:16?
Do we Walk by the Spirit? As a “spiritual person, God’s Holy Spirit is the one who leads us into all path of living a life that is pleasing or approved by God.
Galatians 5:16“This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
So, our completing the Background section of your approval form, should list Holy Spirit as both our guide and our reference. Any amount of our education. political power or money cannot get anyone into heaven or approval of God.
If a person hearing the Gospel of Christ, humbles themselves, listens to the direction of the Holy Spirit, he or she is a winner. Without proper background information, the approval form cannot proceed or is the first filter to decline.
2. Your Name: Does God really know you?
Isaiah 43:1 – “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”
In this grace age, through our redeemer, you and I have the right to be called sons or daughters of God. Remember God called Samuel by name. As a young person, God chose to call Samuel. One could consider that Eli’s sons were around. If God is calling, are you hearing the call?
If you and I are able bodied, if you and I are not able bodied, (we have each been called by God), are we listening to the call and following the commands of God?
In Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born, I consecrated you” was the message for Prophet Jeremiah.
Psalm 139:13 “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.” God created you in the first place and he sent his own son Jesus Christ to die in the cross for our sins, for our redemption.
In Our “not as able, able-bodied” “Old Age” ….
Psalm 92:13-15 Authorized King James Version
13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age;
they shall be fat and flourishing;
15 to shew that the Lord is upright:
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
3. Is your “sinners rap” sheet empty?
He is your redeemer: Usually, when filling out background forms, if the answer for misdemeanor or criminal record is yes, you will have to list all instance of these occurrences.
If you are redeemed by the blood of the lamb, your rap sheet should be empty. If it is not, clearly, approval is not possible, even though God loves us.
Many listen to and hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but precious few truly has the confidence to say that their sins have been forgiven. Psalm 55:22 “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” If your approver knows, if your ultimate approver, Jesus Christ, is your advocate, how amazing it is to absolutely know that you, I, are redeemed.
Psalm 103:3 – “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” But God blots your sin, if you repent.
Isaiah 43:25 – God forgives and forgets your sin. God is omniscient, but he decides to forget your sins on your repentance.
4. What rules apply to you? Law or Grace:
Romans 3:19-24, vs 23,24 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”
The law is the mirror to show the inadequacy of man, but grace is the gift of God which brings sufficiency.
When we wear Christ as our everyday garment, when we believe, Jesus took our sins on the cross, our sins have been blotted out, Jesus paid the penalty for us.
5. Your Thoughts – God knows your Thoughts:
Psalm 94:11 “God knows the thoughts of a man, that they are mere breath”. You can recollect memories attached to your soul. You and I can choose to dwell on OUR thoughts. The Rich man remembered about Lazarus and his brothers.
– Psalm 139:2 – God embraces and understands thoughts our from afar.
– 2 Corinthians 10:5 – Taking every thought captive
– Proverbs 12:15 – Counsel for mentors
– James 1:5-7– Some people claim they are not hearing from God. He will tell us, if it is best.
– Isaiah 6:8-12 – Thoughts of how we will respond to God’s call upon our lives.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
9 And he said, Go, and tell this people,
Hear ye indeed, but understand not;
and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
10 Make the heart of this people fat,
and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered,
Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant,
and the houses without man,
and the land be utterly desolate,
12 and the Lord have removed men far away,
and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
– 2 Timothy 3:16 – He speaks to us through his Word.
– Proverbs 3:5-7 Prioritize God’s thoughts above our own no matter how wise.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes:
fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
6. Our worship aptitude – sweet savor of sacrifice before God, Joyful Noise:
Psalm 100
A Psalm of praise.
1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.
7. What is our exercise regimen?
Feeding on God’s word: You should not need to keep your life busy to come across as successful and not have any time for God.
Ezekiel 3:1-4
3 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. 2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
4 And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
Psalm 19:9-11
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever:
the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned:
and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Psalm 34:8-10
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good:
blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints:
for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger:
but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
I can only just imagine that so many people who are reading this right now are walking through some sort of trial. Or if you’re not walking through a trial right now, that some trial is likely just around the corner. And whether you’re in the “fire” right now or the “pending heat” is coming around the corner, know this, the God of the universe is with you. You are his child, you belong to him, and he will provide for you – he will bring you though. (Psalm 121)
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
So, God, I consider and meditate the awesomeness of your Scriptures, pray, specifically right now, for people who are listening to this who are walking through trials, God I pray that they would know your presence with them.
I pray that they would come to know exactly how precious they are to you. We praise you oh God as our father who calls us by name. So, God I just pray that if somebody You know is walking through a trial right now that they would know you’re with them and that your power would keep them. That you would enable them to stand in the middle of the trial, and that God, you would bring them through it in a way 100% glorifies your name for all the grace you give them.
God knowing that trials could be around the corner for any of us we praise you, that in the middle of it we can always look up to you, know that we belong to you and that you will carry us through. We praise you oh God as our redeemer, as our Savior and the one who’s promised to bring us through the trials we face in this life. Lord, we desire only to celebrate and embrace you as you do unto us!
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 