Will My God Ever Give Up On Me As I Have Given Up on Him? Luke 22:54-62

Luke 22:54-62 Amplified Bible

Peter’s Denials

⁵⁴Then they seized Him, and led Him away and brought Him to the [elegant] house of the [Jewish] ^[a]high priest. And Peter was following at a [safe] distance. ⁵⁵After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat among them. ⁵⁶And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” ⁵⁷But Peter denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him!” ⁵⁸A little later someone else saw him and said, “You are one of them too.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” ⁵⁹After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, “This man was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” ⁶⁰But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” ⁶²And he went out and wept bitterly [deeply grieved and distressed].

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

I remember a secular song popular many years ago called “River”.

To this day, lines from that rather somber Joni Mitchell song stick with me.

She sang, “I’m always hard to handle. I’m selfish and I’m sad. Now I’ve gone and lost the best baby that I ever had.”

The words came to mind again this week while reading a post from a Christian who said, “I still struggle with being angry, ungrateful, and cranky.”

I added her words to what several people have written recently about Apostle Peter in today’s discourse from Luke 22.

As much effort as Peter made to assure and then reassure Jesus and the other disciples to never give up on Jesus – no matter the circumstances – He failed.

He failed in the worst way possible.

He failed himself.

He failed his friends and fellow disciples.

He failed his mother and his father

He failed to uphold every single thing he held to about his faith in God.

He failed his sworn and covenanted oath to God.

He failed his Messiah – denying him thrice times and very publicly.

When his Messiah needed and required him to be there for Him, as Messiah had predicted, before the cock crowed three times, Peter was nowhere declaring his his utmost confidence and faith in his Messiah nor his willingness to even die.

How much worse could it possibly get in that moment?

Then that fateful glance in the courtyard where Peter’s and Jesus’ eyes met after Peter thrice times emotionally, very publicly refuted his association with Jesus.

⁶¹The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” ⁶²And he went out and wept bitterly [deeply grieved and distressed].

They have preached this passage, taken a long look at this passage, been very self-introspective of this text as it was preached to them – and they CRIED TOO!

We can probably, without much effort, safely guess what emotions were going on in Peter’s much anguished heart and soul: “Will God Now Give Up On Me?!?”

They cried, proclaimed – “I was not there when my Savior needed me most!”

They cried and declared – “I got so very tired, so very much worn out by it all!”

The cried and declared – “I feel like I have simply given up on God, My Savior!”

They have likewise asked of themselves, “Will God ever give up on me?”

Gravely worried because they think they have already and repeatedly done the one single thing that’s “finally too much for God to take,” they are feeling fear.

Many Will Worry About Keeping God’s Love

Now, their concerns aren’t just about their repeated failures toward conquering their anger, their fears, their broken promises, their ingratitude, or crankiness.

Some are worried about other things like unrelenting unswerving doubts, their waning and waxing faith, a fresh sin committed, or a repeated sin committed.

But, this lingering question comes rushing back to many people at different times, at too many inopportune times

“Does God give up on us as we all too often give up on Him?”

A significant question with what they believe has severe eternal implications.

I can safely confess here that despite what I staunchly believe is a steadfast and immovable faith – a “Superman Faith” if you will, I’ve certainly had that fear.

Have you?

At times, I’ve wondered if I have let God down too much or too severely or made that “one too big a mistake” with the severest of eternal implications possible.

It hurts my spirit.

It puts a giant strain, an immovable millstone upon my heart and upon my soul.

I will simply never have the necessary knowledge nor the required wisdom nor any of the maximum allowable strength to even begin to move it or remove it.

Responding to the Lord’s “Once In a Lifetime” Look

Luke 22:61-62 Amplified Bible

Two captivating stories are happening at the same time.

Inside the high priest’s court Jesus reveals his true identity as the Messiah.

Outside near the fire in the courtyard Peter denies his Lord three times.

Then the climax brings the two story lines crashing together.

Jesus’ eyes look directly at Peter’s eyes and quite literally changes everything.

Peter surrendered to the paralyzing fear of his faith’s ability at standing alone.

But fortunately Jesus enabled Peter to break out of the cage of conformity.

The rooster’s crow activated the alarm of Peter’s conscience.

Immediately he repented.

In extreme sorrow, Peter wept bitterly.

Do We Lose God When We Are Selfish and Sad?

As in Joni Mitchell’s sobering song, do we lose the best loved one we’ve ever had – our God and our Savior – when we are selfish and/or broken or sad?

No!

Absolutely Not!

It’s a guarantee that after we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, we still won’t be perfect!

And God knows that!

Instead, we all have a lot of “cleaning up” to do even at that point.

But, that is something only God can do in your life.

Yes, you and I must cooperate, we must be and remain willing participants.

The way we do that is to believe Him that He loves us and has changed us.

That He IS always and forever changing us.

And, in addition, you and I must learn, and re-learn, how to receive His love.

With regards to Peter and His coming to terms with his catastrophic failures;

Later in the Upper Room he reaffirmed his love for Jesus by being there and not running away, fleeing from His presence, when Jesus appeared to the disciples.

Still later, doubts intact, Peter is recommissioned as the Lord’s representative.

John 21:15-17 Amplified Bible

The Love Motivation

¹⁵So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do—with total commitment and devotion]?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I ^[a]love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Feed My lambs.” ¹⁶Again He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with total commitment and devotion]?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” ¹⁷He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]?” Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, “Do you [really] ^[b]love Me [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend]?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

In John 21 we find that Jesus refused to let Peter cover up his unresolved past.

Three times the Resurrected Jesus asked Peter how much he loved his Lord.

And Peter asserted repeatedly, “Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus then empowered Peter, gave divine approval and permission, God’s own blessings, to just put his past behind him and walk confidently into his future.

Jesus’ aim is to come to us, bless us, reassure us, reconcile with and rehabilitate us whenever we feel the full weight of our millstones, when we fall from grace.

And our conscience can halt us before we yield to temptation.

But even when if we inevitably slip back into sin, God wants to restore us.

God does not stand behind home plate like an umpire at a baseball game with a great cloud of witnesses present waiting to signal and then shout, “You’re out!”

Instead, He comes to us on our lakeshores, draws us to Himself with kindness.

For us this means responding to the raucous alarm of our conscience, removing ourselves from the moment and place of temptation, repenting of our sin, give God permission to take our millstone, to reaffirming our loyalty to Jesus Christ.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 13 The Message

13 ^1-2Long enough, God—
    you’ve ignored me long enough.
I’ve looked at the back of your head
    long enough. Long enough
I’ve carried this ton of trouble,
    lived with a stomach full of pain.
Long enough my arrogant enemies
    have looked down their noses at me.

^3-4Take a good look at me, God, my God;
I want to look life in the eye,
So no enemy can get the best of me
or laugh when I fall on my face.

^5-6I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms—
I’m celebrating your rescue.
I’m singing at the top of my lungs,
I’m so full of answered prayers.

Psalm 139:23-24 The Message

^23-24Investigate my life, O God,
    find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
    get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
    then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Lord, we read Your text from Luke’s Gospel and we know that your convicting look is filled with thy convincing, affirming grace. Thank you for your transforming power!

Adeste Fidelis! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Studying, Meditating, Pondering Upon Ways We Can Hear from God Regularly. Habakkuk 2:1-4

Habakkuk 2:1-4 Amplified Bible

God Answers the Prophet

2 I will stand at my guard post
And station myself on the tower;
And I will keep watch to see what He will say to me,
And what answer I will give [as His spokesman] when I am reproved.
²
Then the Lord answered me and said,
“Write the vision
And engrave it plainly on [clay] tablets
So that the one who reads it will run.
³
“For the vision is yet for the appointed [future] time
It hurries toward the goal [of fulfillment]; it will not fail.
Even though it delays, wait [patiently] for it,
Because it will certainly come; it will not delay.

⁴
“Look at the proud one,
His soul is not right within him,
But the righteous will live by his faith [in the true God].

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

God is constantly speaking to people.

But too often, they miss out on hearing God’s messages because they seek His guidance only occasionally – usually when they are going through a crisis or they are about to be facing a major life decision – family, health, finance, career.

Then, with a dire need to hear from God, people will become confused and then become sad, and frustrated when they do not clearly hear what they should do.

They start to wonder when and how to hear from God and why they are not.

It does not have to be that way.

God wants everyone to hear His messages clearly, and it’s possible to do so.

The key is to forget about formulas and gimmicks for hearing from God, and to focus instead on developing the kind of relationship with God will empower you and me to hear God speaking regularly.

The closer you get to God, the more you can enjoy ongoing conversations with Him, both listening and hearing from Him, and the more God will use those conversations to transform you into the person He wants me, you to become.

Simple Keys to Hearing God’s Voice

There are a few simple keys that can be found in Habakkuk 2:1-2, which unlocks the treasure of hearing God’s voice.

Using these simple keys together allows the hearer of God’s voice on a daily basis.

Being intentional about hearing God’s voice is a critical step.

In Habakkuk 2:2, Habakkuk knew the sound of God speaking to him.

Elijah also described this as a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12-13).

Do you know that we can listen to God in an inner audible voice?

God does speak that way to us at times.

However, we find that God’s voice usually comes as spontaneous thoughts or flowing thoughts.

Have you ever experienced driving down the road, and had a thought come to you to pray for a certain person or situation?

Don’t you think it’s God’s voice telling you to pray?

It’s not really an audible voice most of the time.

Instead, it’s a spontaneous thought.

It’s God who is already giving us a prophetic discernment to pray for this person.

Usually, humans are able and capable to experience, Holy Spirit-level communication as spontaneous thoughts, impressions, and visions, and Scripture communicates in many ways.

For example, one definition of ‘paga’, a Hebrew word for intercession, is “a chance encounter or an accidental intersecting.”

When God gives us a burden for specific people, He does it through ‘paga’, a chance-encounter thought “accidentally” coming into our minds.

The inexperienced prophet might consider it a chance encounter, spontaneous or owing thoughts.

Even Satan can plant deception in our minds through spontaneous thoughts.

Paul tells us to take captive of those thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Have you encountered evil thoughts coming to you in the middle of prayer and worship times?

There are different things going on in our minds.

Humans are usually responsible for analytical thoughts.

Spontaneous good thoughts come from the Holy Spirit, and spontaneous evil thoughts come from evil spirits.

God’s thoughts line up with Scripture and His different names and roles: Comforter, Counselor, Teacher, Giver of Life, Healer, and Deliverer.

God’s thoughts edify, exhort, and comfort you.

They are pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, good fruits, and are unwavering (James 3:17).

On the other hand, Satan’s thoughts line up with his different names as well: Accuser, adversary, thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Satan’s thoughts condemn, bring despair, rejection, fear, doubt, unbelief, and misery all together. Satan’s thoughts also bring jealousy and selfish ambition (James. 3:14-15).

Studying, Pondering, Meditating, Ways to Regularly Hear from God

1. Recognize that God created you for a very personal relationship.

By design, the way we hear best from God is in the context of a friendship with Him.

God intends for us to figure out His will freely and intelligently as you engage in regular conversations with Him.

God’s will is to be personally present with you and speaking with you moment by moment as you go through life.

Then we’ll grow to understand Him more and become more like His Son, Jesus.

2. Consider your motives for wanting to hear from God.

Honestly reflect on why you want to hear from God.

Is it because we are truly open to whatever God has to say and committed to putting His guidance into action and fulfilling His purposes, even when doing so is so fully, completely and utterly enveloping, overwhelming, challenging?

Or is it for a selfish reason, such as wanting to feel righteous or comforted?

Confess and repent of any wrong motives.

Ask God to give you an openness to hear and respond faithfully to what He wants to tell you.

3. Make your goal more than just hearing God.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33

While it’s important to hear from God, that shouldn’t be your ultimate goal.

Instead, make your main goal to become a spiritually mature person in a close relationship with God.

That’s the only way we’ll clearly and correctly hear what God has to say to us.

4. Know that you’re important to God, but be humble.

Have the confidence that God is willing to speak to you just as powerfully as He did to the ancient people in the Bible, because He values you, me, just as much.

However, do not let pride creep into your soul, because you must be humble in order to faithfully receive and respond to the messages God has for you and me.

5. Don’t try to force God to tell you something.

No matter how much you want to hear from God about something or how hard you may try to convince Him to speak to you.

We will only hear from God when He chooses to communicate with us.

Focus on developing a respectful relationship with God and wait for His timing to deliver messages to you.

Also, if God chooses not to give you specific guidance about something you’ve prayed about, what you’re considering is within the Bible’s moral principles,

we can confidently go ahead and make our own decision about what to do and still be within God’s will.

6. Recognize that God communicates in many forms.

God may choose any one of many different ways to communicate to you, me, according to what’s best at particular times and in particular circumstances.

You may sometimes hear God’s message in dramatic ways, such as through angels, visions, or miraculous events.

But more often, we will hear God speaking through our thoughts, and He will use ordinary practices such as reading and studying the Bible, praying quietly, learning from circumstances, or seeking counsel from other Christians to reach out to us as you think about them.

God will also use dramatic, even miraculous means to get our attention when necessary, but His goal is for you and me to be so closely connected to Him that you and I will pay attention whenever He speaks to us.

Usually, God speaks through what people have described as a “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12-13) to encourage those He loves to choose to keep walking closely with Him through life.

7. Renew your mind.

Since God often speaks to you through your mind and wants you to develop what the Bible calls the “mind of Christ” (the ability to make decisions as Jesus would), it’s crucial for you to follow the Bible’s urging in Romans 12:2:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

As we invite the Holy Spirit to renew your mind every day, He will cleanse it from such dirt and clutter as false beliefs and attitudes, unhealthy feelings, and misguided plans.

Then the Holy Spirit will minister to us, intercede, work to replace all of that spiritual mess with true thoughts that more genuinely reflect God’s purposes.

8. Invite the living Word to help you when you read scripture.

The Word of God is a living, creative force – Jesus Himself – and He is actively at work when you read God’s written word – the Bible – prayerfully.

Hebrews 4:12 Amplified Bible

¹²For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged ^[a]sword, penetrating as far as the division of the ^[b]soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

As we read the Bible, as we study the Bible, we ask Jesus to make the Bible’s words come alive for us and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, become conduits through which He sends His thoughts, faith, and love into your soul.

1 Timothy 4:12-14 Amplified Bible

¹²Let no one look down on [you because of] your youth, but be an example and set a pattern for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in [moral] purity. ¹³Until I come, devote yourself to public reading [of Scripture], to preaching and to teaching [the sound doctrine of God’s word]. ¹⁴Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, [that special endowment] which was intentionally bestowed on you [by the Holy Spirit] through prophetic utterance when the ^[a]elders laid their hands on you [at your ordination].

Then discipline yourself to focus on what He sends you and strive and work to orient yourself towards a pattern of faith so it will begin to transform your life.

9. Recognize God’s voice above all others.

By experience, you can learn to recognize God’s voice when He speaks, and to confidently respond to what He says.

When thoughts recur, pray about them to discern if they may be coming from God.

Keep in mind that God will never send you and me any message that contradicts the Bible’s principles.

Also, God’s voice carries the weight of authority within it, and expresses a spirit of compassion, peace, confidence, joy, assurance, reasonableness and goodwill.

If you think or believe that God may speaking to you, ask Him to confirm so as we study and meditate on the Bible, as we are alert to the circumstances we’ll encounter, or as we experience the Holy Spirit’s impressions in our mindsets.

10. Set aside time regularly to listen for God’s messages.

2 Timothy 2:14-15 Amplified Bible

An Unashamed Workman

¹⁴Remind the people of these facts, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God to avoid petty controversy over words, which does no good, and [upsets and undermines and] ruins [the faith of] those who listen. ¹⁵Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.

Make a plan to discipline your mind and your heart and soul, make a habit of intentionally and expectantly listening for whatever God may want to tell you.

It’s more important to become a person who listens regularly to God than it is to constantly ask God to give you guidance.

Set aside sometime today to begin listening for God’s voice and hearing his promises and plans for you.

Perhaps even keep a journal to remember the things he brings to life in you.

You open your Bible, but quickly become distracted.

You want to dig deeper, but you don’t know where to begin.

Frustrated, you close the book.

It’s not that you don’t love God—in fact, you long for more intimacy with God.

Maybe God is calling you to deeper waters . . .

Imagine yourself purposely, randomly, opening to a passage of God’s Word and by spending time, its becoming so engaging that you actually lose track of time.

Imagine yourself digging deep, and deeper still into God’s Word and seeing it, and hearing it come alive in amazing ways you had never experienced before.

Imagine starting each day—not with a tiny nugget of truth you hope will get you through—but through hearing a fresh encounter with our living Savior.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in us the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy Your consolations. Through Christ our Lord. Alleluia, Amen.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Blessings From God’s Word: Bless Me and Revive Me, O’ God. Make Your Face to Shine Bright Upon Me, Your Servant. Psalm 119:129-136

Psalm 119:129-136 Amplified Bible

Pe.

¹²⁹
Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.
¹³⁰
The unfolding of Your [glorious] words give light;
Their unfolding gives understanding to the simple (childlike).
¹³¹
I opened my mouth and panted [with anticipation],
Because I longed for Your commandments.
¹³²
Turn to me and be gracious to me and show me favor,
As is Your way to those who love Your name.
¹³³
Establish my footsteps in [the way of] Your word;
Do not let any human weakness have power over me [causing me to be separated from You].
¹³⁴
Redeem me from the oppression of man;
That I may keep Your precepts.
¹³⁵
Make Your face shine [with pleasure] upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.
¹³⁶
My eyes weep streams of water
Because people do not keep Your law.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

Gloria, In Excelsis Deo, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Blessings From God’s Word …

Make your face shine with pleasure on your servant and teach me your decrees.

— Psalm 119:135

The words of the Psalmist from verse 135 “Make your face shine on your servant” echoes the great blessing found in the High Aaronic prayer Numbers 6:24-26.

There God explains how to give his people a blessing, saying:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Here God conveys to his people that He has turned His face upon them, sees them and promises to be gracious to them, to love and vigilantly protect them.

In our reading from the Psalms for today, the psalmist sees the light of God’s Word, and his passion for God grows, leading to a greater thirst for God’s Word.

As he reads and meditates, ponders and absorbs, the writer’s understanding of God’s love, mercy, and compassion deepens and his longing for God increases.

The intensity of his passion for God leads him even to pant for God’s Word!

Another important thing to note here is that the psalmist calls himself God’s servant.

Connecting God’s blessing with service, the psalmist reminds us that blessings do not stop when they land on our doorstep.

God blesses us—his servants—so that we can serve and be a blessing to the people around us.

Go ahead and ask God for his blessing, because God wants to bless you.

He also wants us to be keenly attentive to his Word, to praise Him, to pray and to worship Him and to learn His statutes, to revive, actively serve in his world.

Teach Me Your Statutes, O God …

God’s word is a treasure filled with fine riches that teach us about the God who created us and how to live in a way that pleases Him.

Often, we can disconnect God’s word from our lives and make reading His word a mere intellectual pursuit or religious practice.

Psalm 119 is a beautiful prayer that asks God to deeply connect the psalmist’s life with the word of God.

One of the most oft repeated phrases the psalmist passionately prays is for God to teach him to live by his statutes, which appears Psalm 119 at least ten times:

“Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!” Psalm 119:12

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Psalm 119:18

“When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes!” Psalm 119:26

“Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.” Psalm 119:33

“The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!” Psalm 119:64

“You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” Psalm 119:68

“Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.” Psalm 119:73

“Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.” Psalm 119:124

“I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!” Psalm 119:25

“Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.” Psalm 119:135

“Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word!“ Psalm 119:169

We could, would, should be all be the wiser to make these verses (and the whole psalm) an essential element of our daily prayer life, our heart cry to our Savior.

Ah, the Sweetest Mystery of Life …

Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:6Amplified Bible

¹⁶When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to see the activities [of mankind] that take place upon the earth—how some men seem to sleep neither day nor night— ¹⁷and I saw all the work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though man may labor in seeking, he will not discover; and [more than that], though a wise man thinks and claims he knows, he will not be able to find it out.

Men Are in the Hand of God

9 For I have taken all this to heart, exploring and examining it all, how the righteous (those in right standing with God) and the wise and their deeds are in the hands of God. No man knows whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.

²It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers sacrifices and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as he who swears an oath is, so is he who is afraid to swear an oath. ³This evil is in all that is done under the sun, that one fate comes to all. Also, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and afterwards they go to the dead. ⁴[There is no exemption,] but whoever is joined with all the living, has hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. ⁵For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they no longer have a reward [here], for the memory of them is forgotten. ⁶Indeed their love, their hatred and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share [in this age] in anything that is done under the sun.

The Searcher’s claim is quite clear: life is too complicated, too vast, too filled with conflicting elements for any one of us to figure out all the answers.

Though we stay up all night and day, trying to think through and understand the complicated events that bring to pass the circumstances of our lives, we will never fully understand.

The Bible attaches no stigma to trying to understand life.

Rather, the pursuit of knowledge is everywhere encouraged in Scripture.

We must never adopt the attitude of anti-intellectualism that characterizes some segments of Christianity today.

We are to reason and think about what God is doing and what life gives us.

But we must always remember that no matter how much we try to think about life, mysteries will still remain.

We do not have enough data, nor do we have enough ability to see life in its totality to answer all the questions.

We must be content with some degree of mystery.

Though the wisest man of the ancient world wrote these words, he admits that humans cannot know all the answers.

He even says that diligence in labor will not unravel life’s mysteries: Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning.

We will still be left collectively knitting our brows, collectively scratching our heads, and asking the eternally unanswerable question: “Why, Me, Lord”?

Even when people claim to know the answers behind what happens to us, they are really only deceiving themselves.

Many people are unwilling to accept the truth of the precepts of Scripture until they can “come to fully, completely, utterly,” understand everything in it.

But if you and I are waiting for that, you will never make it -“failure to thrive” .

Although this book Ecclesiastes was written almost 2,500 years ago, it is still true, even in our age of advanced knowledge, no one can find all the answers.

We must diligently search out the statutes of God – through prayer and study.

When you and I think about our own life, about how many of the things that have happened to us have been determined by events over which we had zero control—events that had to fall together in a certain pattern before they could ever come to pass [by God’s Plan]—you, I, can see how true these words are.

No one can find out all the answers.

The sweetest mystery to life is that the destiny of our lives may all hung upon a simple decision to go or not to go to a church on a particular Sunday because we had some sort of “issue, grievance, grudge etcetera,” against the church itself.

Learning something about God’s precepts for our “Christian living” may just be revealed on that day during the course of praise, worship, reading of scripture.

We have to continuously place ourselves directly in the path of the Word of God.

We have to continuously stay passionate about letting God work in us and also through us by means of the unmatched power of His transformative Word.

How can we understand that strange merging of simplicity and complexity?

The Searcher of Ecclesiastes continuously and constantly argues that life is too complicated without the Word of God, for us ever to answer all the questions.

We will inevitably run out of brain power when, all by ourselves, we keep trying to be “a Sermon in Shoes Christian” finding our answers to the mystery of life.

Is understanding everything in Scripture necessary before accepting it as truth?

A Puzzle and a Song …

Romans 11:30-12:3Amplified Bible

³⁰Just as you once were disobedient and failed to listen to God, but have now obtained mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹so they too have now become disobedient so that they too may one day receive mercy because of the mercy shown to you. ³²For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all [Jew and Gentile alike].

³³Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and decisions and how unfathomable and untraceable are His ways! ³⁴For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? ³⁵Or who has first given to Him that it would be paid back to him? ³⁶For from Him [all things originate] and through Him [all things live and exist] and to Him are all things [directed]. To Him be glory and honor forever! Amen.

Dedicated Service

12 ^[a]Therefore I urge you, ^[b]brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. ²And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be ^[c]transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].

³For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].

I love puzzles but it bothers me and it frustrates me to no end the challenge of sitting still long enough and putting together any 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Like my wife, some people will go online, just to do the most complex Sudoku.

She has developed a system whereby she just systematically “breezes through.”

That is not me, either …

I like Sudoku … but I cannot just “breeze through” them like she does.

I watch her, admire her ability to “order and sort out” all of the numbers.

I just need take my time and pray I finish without too many mistakes.

Too many mistakes … I just shut the game down as quickly as possible.

Revealing that sometimes our puzzles can end up puzzling us.

That’s how it was for the apostle Paul.

Paul wrestled with a very personal problem.

By God’s grace he had come to know Jesus as his Savior.

As he went about doing his missionary work, many Gentiles came to faith in Jesus as Lord.

But many of his own Jewish people rejected Jesus.

It was mind boggling to him.

Were they not God’s special people chosen to share God’s love with the world?

Nevertheless, Paul was so confident of God’s great mercy he broke into song.

Paul confesses that we can never fully grasp God’s eternal plan.

Our efforts to understand God, define him, or reduce him to our level will ultimately fail.

God owes us no explanation; nor is he accountable to us—for he is God.

There is something we can do—in fact, two things.

First, Paul implies that we should keep praising God because all glory belongs to him forever.

Then Paul goes on to say that the only reasonable response to all this is to offer ourselves in complete service to God and to be completely available for his use.

Are we doing that?

By Praise and Worship, by Prayer and Meditation and Study of God’s Word,

Are we looking to God for answers to even the most uncomplicated of puzzles?

“Reviving” the “Lost Art” of “Knowing God better than we Know Ourselves?”

Do you desire to continually learn and be taught God’s word and statues?

Does your heart yearn to be taught the path of God and to fix the gaze of your heart and your soul upon Him?

How say Ye to this …?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray, ….

Lord, often we are as puzzled as the Psalmist, the Teacher and the Apostle Paul about the host of ways you deal with us. Even so, may we stand in awe of your amazing grace and respond to you with songs of praise and acts of service. Lord, cause us to continually grow in our understanding and learning of your statutes, making us wise and obedient to you. Cause us to fear your name and pursue an obedient and joyful life as Bible-saturated people who look to you for wisdom, grace, and life. Teach us your statutes and may our lives be characterized by joyful obedience to your word and by demonstrating constant dependence on you. And may you fill us ever more increasingly with your Holy Spirit, who alone, can truly teach us all your statutes.

Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

A Comforting Question, Thought, For Today: Scripturally Speaking, What Do We Believe Heaven is Like? John 14:1-6

John 14:1-6Amplified Bible

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

14 “Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me. ²In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. ⁴And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way.” ⁵Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; so how can we know the way?” ⁶Jesus said to him, “^[a]I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Amen.

An experienced traveler knows the value of making hotel reservations.

They spend some time working on their itinerary – the quality of the hotel they will be staying in, the quality of the food from local restaurants, entertainment venues which will help them pass their time while they are away from family.

The very thought of a comfortable room, a comfortable bed, the possibility of a good meal waiting for us at your destination just makes one feel more relaxed.

If we have to be away from our families, we might as well know the best ways we will be able to relax, get our share of work and rest, enjoy that time away.

The trip goes ever more smoothly when you have those advanced reservations.

In our reading for today from John’s Narrative, Rabbi Jesus speaks of hospitable lodging at the end of a long trip.

To comfort his disciples then, He tells us, his followers now , not to be worried during our journey on the road to eternity, on the road to our heavenly abode.

We have to trust in the Father.

In his heavenly abode there are many rooms.

And the Son prepares a special place for us.

The best medicine for a heavenly travelers heart is to utterly trust in God.

As we study this passage, we discover two important facts.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/jhn/14/1-3/t_conc_1011002

First, Jesus promises us more than just temporary housing.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3438/kjv/tr/0-1/

The Greek words refer to “dwelling places,” and that implies permanence and stability.

Once we travel into that heavenly sanctuary, we won’t have to worry about finding new shelter again.

Second, we won’t have to look for that place on our own.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/jhn/14/1-3/t_conc_1011003

On this earth, it can be challenging to find an unfamiliar location, even with good directions.

But Jesus himself will return to show us the way.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2064/kjv/tr/0-1/

The reservation confirmation for this heavenly lodging is going to be very simple.

BELIEVE IN GOD …

BELIEVE ALSO IN HIS SON, JESUS …

BELIEVE It’s forever safe for us in the hands of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Have you trusted him fully?

But, I can imagine that such a complete level of trust should have come from Rabbi Jesus’ disciples in that Upper Room after they have been told their Rabbi was going away – was going to be arrested, humiliated, brutalized, and killed.

I can also probably safely guess that if we were the ones in that Upper Room, our hearts too would be greatly disquieted and visibly shocked, out of sorts.

Setting aside the indescribable shock of learning your Messiah is about to be [voluntarily] walking down the roadway into his own grave, from which there is no return, is the lingering question for them of exactly what comes afterwards.

A Place, A heavenly place, A heavenly Abode …. A Mansion with many rooms.

Prepared by Jesus Himself … who will return for us one day … take us “home.”

What About this “Heavenly Mansion, Heavenly Home?”

“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…Come further up, come further in!” ― C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle

Everyone wants to know about heaven and everyone wants to go there.

Except, who has actually been there and will testify, paint that masterpiece everyone will automatically point to and believe is the true and actual place?

Recent polls suggest that nearly 80% of all Americans believe there is a place called heaven.

I find that statistic encouraging because it tells me that even in this skeptical age there is something deep inside the human heart that cries out,

“There has got to be something more, something better.”

Something more than the pain and suffering of this life.

Something more than 70 or 80 years on planet earth. Something more than being born, living, suffering an dying, and then being buried in the ground.

Sometimes we talk about a “God-shaped vacuum” inside the human heart.

I believe there is also a “heaven-shaped vacuum,” a sense that we were made for something more than this life.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13Amplified Bible

God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man

¹¹He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.

¹²I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live; ¹³and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

God Himself, despite our own self-opinions, has made everything and everyone beautiful and appropriate in their own time, their own unique, individual place.

God has also planted eternity, a sense of divine purpose into our human hearts.

And then gifted us with an insatiable desire we always refer to as “curiosity.”

Considering this notion of “curiosity” and the always and forever lingering question “what comes next for us when Jehovah Ra’ah the shepherd comes?”

It is reasonable to say and then to believe that …

“We were definitely made to live forever somewhere.”

In a very real sense we were made for heaven.

There is another fascinating statistic I should mention.

Not only do most Americans believe in heaven, most people expect to go there when they die.

If you took a microphone to the streets of where ever you live and asked, “Do you think you will go to heaven when you die?”

the vast majority of people would answer, “I hope so,” or “I think so,” or perhaps “I think I’ve got a good chance.

Not very many people would say they aren’t going to heaven.

Perhaps one modest point is in order.

Whenever you talk about living forever somewhere, it would help to know for sure where you are going.

After all, if you’re wrong about heaven, you’re going to be wrong for a long, long time.

With that background, I now consider some what I believe are some of the most frequently asked questions about heaven.

But before I jump in, I should make one preliminary point.

The only things we can know for certain about heaven are the things revealed in the Bible.

Everything else is just speculation and hearsay.

The Bible tells us everything we need to know and I believe it also tells us everything we can know for certain about heaven.

Where is Heaven?

There are three things I can try to tell you in answer to this question.

John 14:1-3Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus Comforts His Followers

14 Jesus said, “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. ²There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you with me, so that you can be where I am.

1. The most important fact is that heaven is a real place.

Twice in three verses Jesus calls heaven a place.

He means that heaven (“my Father’s house”) is a real place, as real as New York, London or Chicago.

The place called heaven is just as real as the place you call home.

It’s a very real place which is why the Bible sometimes compares heaven to a mansion with many rooms (John 14:1-3) and sometimes to an enormous city teeming with people (Revelation 21).

2. The Bible also tells us that heaven is the dwelling place of God.

His throne is there, the angels are there, the Lord Jesus Christ is in heaven.

Philippians 3:20 says very plainly that “our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

That’s why Jesus told the thief on the Cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

3. Third (and I find this fact fascinating), the Bible hints heaven is not as far away as we might think.

Because heaven is a real place, we will sometimes think it must be outside our present universe – which would mean billions and billions of light years away.

However, it’s very clear that the early Christians understood that they would pass immediately from this life into the presence of Christ in heaven.

How can that be possible if heaven is “beyond the farthest universal bounds?”

Hebrews 12:22-24Amplified Bible

²²But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels [in festive gathering], ²³and to the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to God, who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect [bringing them to their final glory], ²⁴and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant [uniting God and man], and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance].

Hebrews 12:22-24 tells us something amazing about what the gospel has done for us:

“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”

The writer is here comparing Mt. Sinai with Mt. Zion.

Under the old covenant no one could come near God except under very strict conditions – and then only by one person – the High Aaronic High Priest .

That’s why the mountain shook with thunder and lightning.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/heb/12/22-24/s_1145022

[Note: three times the writer of Hebrews uses a Greek word that means “to come near” or “to approach closely.]

But now in Christ, we have been brought near to heavenly realities.

Think very carefully and very prayerfully of what the author is saying:

We’re not that far from heaven.
We’re not that far from the angels.
We’re not that far from our loved ones in heaven.
We’re not that far from God.
We’re not that far from Jesus himself.
Heaven is a real place, it’s where Jesus is right now, and it’s not far away from us.

What is Heaven Like?

I would have to answer this by saying that the Bible doesn’t give us a great deal of information.

By the Word of God for the Children of God are images and pictures and visions of heaven and comparisons with life on earth.

What is heaven like? Here are seven biblical facts about heaven. It is …

God’s dwelling place (Psalms 33:13).
Where Christ is today (Acts 1:11).
Where Christians go when they die (Philippians 1:21-23).
The Father’s house (John 14:2).
A city designed and built by God (Hebrews 11:10).
A better country (Hebrews 11:16).
Paradise (Luke 23:43).

Most of us have heard that heaven is a place where the streets are paved with gold, the gates are made of pearl, and the walls made of precious jewels.

Those images come from Revelation 21, which offers us the most extended picture of heaven in the entire Bible.

If you ask me if I believe those things are literally true, the answer is yes and no.

Yes, they are literally true but no, heaven won’t be anything like we imagine.

It will be infinitely greater.

When John writes about a street paved with gold, I do not doubt his words.

He simply reports what he saw in his vision.

Thus, I believe his words are literally true.

They are also meant to tell us that the things we value so highly in this life will be used to pave the roads in heaven.

Each of the stones and gems mentioned in the chapter represent something to the readers, have very well known and very specific spiritual qualities to them.

They are also meant to tell us that the things of this earth we value so highly in this life will be used to pave the roads in heaven.

https://biblehub.com/commentaries/revelation/21-19.htm

You may also google each stone individually … Educate Yourself.

Jesus Has Our Eternal Travel Itinerary Already Prepared For Us

John 14:1-7 The Message

The Road

14 ^1-4“Don’t let this rattle you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”

⁵Thomas said, “Master, we have no idea where you’re going. How do you expect us to know the road?”

^6-7Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”

Believe in God the Father …

Believe in God the Son …

Believe in God the Holy Spirit …

Believe in the Word of God for the Children of God …

Believe in the Life, Death, and Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Loving Father, thank You for Christ’s wonderful words of comfort, “Let not your heart be troubled…” Thank You that God the Son came to earth as the Son of Man to bring comfort to my heart, healing to my soul, and live in my spirit. Enable me, in the power of the Spirit, to hold fast to this wonderful truth in Your Word, and I pray that You endow me with the wisdom, the words, and the grace, to pour forth Your great comfort to others who are facing their own difficult trials. Our Father, what a total joy it is to know that Jesus has prepared a place for us in your presence! Help us to overcome our worries and to trust in you fully as we journey with you. Amen.

Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Growing Up to Become a Child – Descriptions of a Childlike Faith. Matthew 18:1-5

Matthew 18:1-6Amplified Bible

Rank in the Kingdom

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²He called a little child and set him before them, ³and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Therefore, whoever ^[a]humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵Whoever receives and welcomes one ^[b]child like this in My name receives Me; ⁶but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin [by leading him away from My teaching], it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

Growing Up to Become a Child

What does the man, Rabbi Jesus, mean by saying to his disciples that we each need to “change and become like the little children who are among us”?

One clue we have here is that Jesus is responding to the question “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

And he replies, “Whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

In the Gospel narratives about Jesus and his disciples (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we somehow find that the disciples often argued over which of them was, is and is about to become greatest; they seem to have been a competitive group.

And it seems they were thinking of greatness in terms of authority, leadership, knowledge, power, influence, “one above equals,” thrones and of other things.

So Jesus is seemingly telling all of his disciples that they need to change their attitudes about greatness and to become lowly and humble like little children.

Jesus’ followers, whether ancient or contemporary need to die to their selfish ambitions, realize that, just as little children depend on parents and caregivers, we are all totally dependent on Father God for all our needs and future living.

Here’s another hypothetical thought. A man in his sixties said, “Last week my five-year-old grandson said he wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up. I replied, ‘And when I grow up, I want to be a five-year-old boy.’ My grandson stared at me with wide, wondering eyes.”

Have you looked around at your own children or grandchildren and pictured yourself having such a “wide eyed wondering hypothetical conversation?”

Have you looked around at God’s world with “wide, wondering eyes” lately?

That’s something which I long for when I look at my own almost nine year old grandson when hear the clarion call to change and to become like a little child.

Descriptions of a Childlike Faith

Rabbi Jesus’ statement to His disciples in Matthew 18:3 about them not entering the kingdom of heaven unless they are converted and become as little children speak volumes and volumes of truth of the importance of living a childlike faith.

But what is childlike faith?

What makes one’s faith childlike?

Faith which is Rooted in Security

During the days of childhood, one learns how to survive and prosper, how to live under authority, how to live, love and share, and how to serve and praise.

A well-cared-for child has no worries about house or car or any credit card payments, no anxious moments over getting married to the right one, career or job opportunities, no apprehensions about failure, no thoughts of vengeance.

David exemplified this kind of faith while he was on the run from Saul.

Psalm 131:1-2Amplified Bible

Childlike Trust in the Lord.

A Song of ^[a]Ascents. Of David.

131 Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
²
Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child [resting] with his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me [composed and freed from discontent].

In Psalm 131:1-2, David compared the calmness and serenity he had in the Lord to that of a weaned child with his mother.

Composed, content with God and the works He was doing in his life, David did not concern himself with great matters such as any selfish ambition and self-promotion – rather, he found serenity and security in his relationship with God.

Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord. (Psalm 23:6)

To have a childlike faith is to find serenity and security in our relationship with God no matter the circumstance.

Faith Which Praises

Jesus loved children. He loved to use children to teach hard-headed and hard-hearted grown-ups about faith and praise.

While preaching in the region of Judea, Christ was encircled by a great crowd.

Matthew 19:13-15Amplified Bible

Jesus Blesses Little Children

¹³Then children were brought to Jesus so that He might place His hands on them [for a blessing] and pray; but the disciples reprimanded them. ¹⁴But He said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵After placing His hands on them [for a blessing], He went on from there.

He later reminded the priests and scribes that “the mouth of babes and nursing infants” would offer praise fitting for God’s Anointed (Matthew 21:16).

When Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a colt, a very great multitude that included children cried out saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9)!

The sound of the children praising Jesus in the temple courts made the chief priests and scribes indignant.

In response, Jesus quoted from Psalm 8:2.

God does not only want prayer in His house, He also delights in praise.

To have a childlike faith is to have a heart that always longs to praise and glorify God in each and every life’s circumstance.

Faith Which Believes

Jesus used the lad with the five barley loaves and the two small fish to feed five thousand people (John 6:9).

To show His power over death, Jesus used a little girl. Jairus, a ruler in the synagogue, fell at Jesus’ feet begging Him to come to his house and save his dying twelve-year-old daughter.

Jesus agreed and tried to make His way with Jairus, but the surrounding crowd made the trip difficult.

Word came that Jairus’ daughter had died.

But Jesus responded, “Do not be afraid, only believe and she will be made well” (Luke 8:50).

At the house, as the parents wept over their loss, Jesus said, “She is not dead but sleeping” (Luke 8:52).

Through tears, the people laughed at the impossibility of what they heard.

Jesus then asked everyone to leave the room, and then He said, “Little girl, arise” (Luke 8:54), and she did!

Romans 4:17 says that “God gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.”

Jesus spoke to the girl with the power of God, and she was raised from the dead.

Jairus’ faith definitely played a part in the miracle healing of his daughter just like the faith of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years had made her well (Luke 8:43-48).

Nothing is impossible with God if we would just believe.

This is what it means to have childlike faith.

Faith Which is Humble

Another time, Jesus used a child to teach humility.

In Matthew 18:1-5, we read how the disciples came to Jesus asking, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” and how did Jesus respond?

He called a little child to Him, set the little child in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

He then went on to say, “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”

The fact that Jesus had been sharing with the disciples that truth about His approaching suffering and death did not affect them for they were thinking only of, about themselves and what position they would have in His Kingdom.

So self-absorbed were the disciples in this matter that they actually argued with each other in the presence of Rabbi Jesus himself (Luke 9:46).

Pride – the very sin that caused Satan to be cast down from heaven is what’s causing people to think of themselves more highly than others.

When Christians are living for themselves and not for others, conflict and division are bound to result (James 4:1-2).

True humility means knowing ourselves, accepting ourselves, and being ourselves – our best self – to the glory of God ALONE!.

It means avoiding two extremes:

Thinking less of ourselves than we ought to (as did Moses when God called him, Exodus 3:11), or thinking more of ourselves than we should (Romans 12:3).

The truly humble person does not deny the gifts God has given him or her but uses them to the glory of God.

The truly humble person also helps to build up others, not to tear them down.

Hebrews 12:1-3Amplified Bible

Jesus, the Example

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of ^[a]witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, ²[looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, ^[b]disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].

³Just consider and meditate on Him who endured from sinners such bitter hostility against Himself [consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

This person is a stepping-stone, not a stumbling block.

This person is a building block not a stumbling block.

Thus, we must seek to remove from our lives anything that makes us stumble.

If we don’t, we will cause others to stumble as well.

Which Jesus Himself said was not a very good, very healthy, very wise, idea.

Matthew 18:6Amplified Bible

⁶but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin [by leading him away from My teaching], it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

An unspoiled child has the characteristics that make for humility: trust, dependence, a desire to make others happy, and an absence of boasting or selfish desires to be greater than others.

By our nature, we are all rebels who want to be celebrities instead of servants.

And so we need a great deal of teaching for us to learn the lesson of humility.

Concluding Thoughts ….

As Christians, we are encouraged to have childlike faith.

To have faith like a child is to completely embrace, trust our heavenly Father’s goodness, care, provision, leadership, His security, vigilance and protection.

Have you experienced the peace of a well-cared-for child in letting Jesus take care of your worries?

Have you found the healing that faith in Jesus brings?

Have you praised His name with the joy of a child?

Have you answered Jesus’ call in childlike faith, asking Him to be your Savior?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 17The Message

17 ^1-2Listen while I build my case, God,
the most honest prayer you’ll ever hear.
Show the world I’m innocent—
in your heart you know I am.

³Go ahead, examine me from inside out,
surprise me in the middle of the night—
You’ll find I’m just what I say I am.
My words don’t run loose.

^4-5I’m not trying to get my way
    in the world’s way.
I’m trying to get your way,
    your Word’s way.
I’m staying on your trail;
    I’m putting one foot
In front of the other.
    I’m not giving up.

^6-7I call to you, God, because I’m sure of an answer.
    So—answer! bend your ear! listen sharp!
Paint grace-graffiti on the fences;
    take in your frightened children who
Are running from the neighborhood bullies
    straight to you.

^8-9Keep your eye on me;
hide me under your cool wing feathers
From the wicked who are out to get me,
from mortal enemies closing in.

^10-14Their hearts are hard as nails,
    their mouths blast hot air.
They are after me, nipping my heels,
    determined to bring me down,
Lions ready to rip me apart,
    young lions poised to pounce.
Up, God: beard them! break them!
    By your sword, free me from their clutches;
Barehanded, God, break these mortals,
    these flat-earth people who can’t think beyond today.

I’d like to see their bellies
    swollen with famine food,
The weeds they’ve sown
    harvested and baked into famine bread,
With second helpings for their children
    and crusts for their babies to chew on.

¹⁵And me? I plan on looking
you full in the face. When I get up,
I’ll see your full stature
and live heaven on earth.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

What Is this Spiritual Gift of Faith? 1Corinthians 12:4-11

1 Corinthians 12:4-11Amplified Bible

⁴Now there are [distinctive] varieties of spiritual gifts [special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers], but it is the same Spirit [who grants them and empowers believers]. ⁵And there are [distinctive] varieties of ministries and service, but it is the same Lord [who is served]. ⁶And there are [distinctive] ways of working [to accomplish things], but it is the same God who produces all things in all believers [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them]. ⁷But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit [the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit] for the common good. ⁸To one is given through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] the message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] the word of knowledge and understanding according to the same Spirit; ⁹to another [wonder-working] faith [is given] by the same [Holy] Spirit, and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit; ¹⁰and to another the working of ^[a]miracles, and to another prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these things [the gifts, the achievements, the abilities, the empowering] are brought about by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, distributing to each one individually just as He chooses.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

Spiritual Gift of Faith

Today, let’s learn something about the spiritual gift of faith.

Your first reaction to this might be, “How can faith be a gift?

Aren’t we all supposed to have faith as believers in Jesus Christ?”

Faith is absolutely a gift!

It is specifically mentioned as a spiritual gift in scripture (1 Corinthians 12:9).

Because it is a spiritual gift, that means not everyone has the gift of faith.

And that’s okay.

We can all strive for faith, but for some people the confidence in the truth of God comes more naturally than to others.

Do you know a person who can continue to trust in God no matter what comes their way?

A person who can see where God is working in your life when you can’t see it?

People with the spiritual gift of faith are unshakeable in their reliance on God’s promises and are a source of encouragement for the rest of us when we feel like embracing the world or giving up on God or think that God has given up on us.

Here is how we can define the gift of faith:

Faith is the exceptional ability to hold fast to the truth of God in Jesus Christ in spite of pressures, problems, and obstacles to faithfulness.

Much more than just belief, faith is a gift which empowers an individual or a group of people to hold fast to its identity in Christ in the face of any challenge.

The gift of faith enables believers to rise above pressures and problems that might otherwise cripple them.

Faith is characterized by an unshakable trust in Jehovah God to deliver on God’s promises, no matter what.

The gift of faith inspires those who might be tempted to give up to hold on.

Those gifted with Faith create a foundation upon which true community can be built and sustained.

It is critical for people possessing the gift of Faith to make, take opportunities to share their beliefs, their learning, most importantly, their life experiences.

Faith stories have powerful and transforming effects.

Faith is a prominent gift in witnessing congregations, where personal stories are shared in group settings, worship, Sunday school classes, or Bible studies.

Faith is the exceptional ability to hold fast to the truth of God in Jesus Christ in spite of pressures, problems, and obstacles to faithfulness.

Our Bible gives us many examples of individuals with the spiritual gift of faith.

Hebrews 11:1-12 The Message

Faith in What We Don’t See

11 ^1-2The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.

³By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.

⁴By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That’s what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.

^5-6By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. “They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he pleased God.” It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.

⁷By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.

^8-10By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God.

^11-12By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. That’s how it happened that from one man’s dead and shriveled loins there are now people numbering into the millions.

Verse 4 – By faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain
Verse 5 – By faith, Enoch skipped death
Verse 7 – By faith, Noah built a ship
Verse 8 – By faith, Abraham said yes to God
Verse 11 – By faith, barren Sarah became pregnant

Faith in Scripture ….

Mark 9:23 (NRSV)
Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.”

Luke 8:48 (NRSV)
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

Luke 17:19 (NRSV)
Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Luke 18:42 (NRSV)
Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.”

Romans 4:18-21 (NRSV)
Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

God gives us believers gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We do not know why exactly God’s will is for us to have any of these gifts, but we are thankful for any blessings, gifting’s, and corrections that He gives us.

Faith — it is a gift, and all we need is about the size of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20).

To each and every one of us, a measure of faith has been assigned by God (Romans 12:3).

Moses had faith to lead Israel to the Promised Land, Sarah had faith that she would conceive even in her old age, and Noah had faith that God had spoken to him to build the ark even when everyone thought he was crazy (Hebrews 11).

There isn’t any formula that is alongside this gift of faith, and to think that there would be, it would be much more difficult to have faith.

Believing in faith is easy, but in our finite minds, thoughts barricade what is truly simple.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Faith without proof

There are miracles everywhere mentioned in the New Testament.

Many people today have seen what the goodness of God can do through miracles.

In Mark 2, Jesus was in a crowded house in Capernaum.

There were four men carrying a paralytic man, trying to reach Jesus.

They had to make a hole in the roof of the house in order to bring the paralyzed man to be healed by Jesus.

This act was an act of faith by the four men, and Jesus saw their faith in the man being healed of his affliction.

Well, the man not only got healed but his sins were forgiven.

Miracles are a wondrous gift, but having faith without seeing is believing that it is possible even though it seems impossible (2 Corinthians 5:7).

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Our hope is in Christ alone.

Without faith, there is no hope.

We have faith that when winter begins to thaw, and all the snow begins to fade away, that the seeds that were planted in the previous season shall burst forth.

Springtime is a time of refreshment, a time of anticipated, expectant joy to see what was planted, will be planted and is to soon come up from the cold ground.

We don’t see the seeds with our own eyes, but by faith, we have the hope to see green leaves, diverse colors of flowers coming up to bring out joy and harvest.

Childlike Faith ….

Matthew 18:1-6 Amplified Bible

Rank in the Kingdom

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²He called a little child and set him before them, ³and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Therefore, whoever ^[a]humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵Whoever receives and welcomes one ^[b] child like this in My name receives Me; ⁶but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin [by leading him away from My teaching], it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Children are like sponges.

Children are naturally inquisitive about almost everything in their little world.

They max out their efforts absorbing everything they can see, smell, taste, and touch, and hear.

In a classroom, it is a teacher’s job to assure that the children are learning what is being taught.

Children learn from their families as to what is wrong and what is right.

But what they are the best at is having faith.

Think about the inquisitiveness of your own children right now.

What are they constantly getting themselves into?

What holds their “undivided” attention?

What is their “wish-list?”

What are their dreams?

As it might be applicable, be observant and give an answer to those questions for those of us who have grandchildren or great grandchildren inside our lives.

Think about when you were a child, what did you have hope for?

I hoped that I could see the world that God created.

As I got older, I realized what goes into making those dreams come true.

I then began to see that it may not ever happen, and my faith became less in that area of my life.

I let my fears become more and more of my reality because I didn’t truly believe that I could travel the world.

But, perhaps, one season, by God’s Grace, that dream of travel will come true.

I believe and have faith God will bring me to places that He wills for my life.

In Romans 10:17, the Bible states, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Our thoughts can be louder than the Word of God if we let them.

The Holy Spirit within us shows us what is truth and what is not.

The gift of faith is truth and grace that has been given to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The spiritual gift of faith is steadfastly believing the truth, God’s truth alone.

No matter what happens whether you receive what you are believing in or not, your confidence cannot be swayed.

The fear, worry, and circumstances do not determine your level of faith.

If God has given you this spiritual gift of faith, then trust, without doubt, that He will absolutely do as He absolutely wills for your life.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

All-Powerful Father, I bow before You because You are awesome and worthy of all the praise. Your word declares that I can do all things through You who strengthens me! I put all my trust in You. You alone are my God. You alone are my joy. You are my heart and my soul. You are the grass under my feet and the sky above. You are seen and unseen, Father. Keep me at Your right hand forever, fill me with Your grace, and make me Yours all the days of my life. Father, we thank you for everything, and we love you with all that we are. I pray that those that have been given this spiritual gift of faith will never waiver. I pray that we will trust and believe you always God.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

For We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight. 2 Corinthians 5:6-10

2 Corinthians 5:6-10Amplified Bible

⁶So then, being always filled with good courage and confident hope, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— ⁷for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]— ⁸we are [as I was saying] of good courage and confident hope, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. ⁹Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth] or away from home [and with Him], it is our [constant] ambition to be pleasing to Him. ¹⁰For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the ^[a]judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or ^[b]bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

What does it mean to live by Faith?

Those words seem simple enough, yet it may be a lot tougher than we think.

It requires tremendous courage and strength.

Preaching the gospel to the world brought Paul and his co-workers much suffering.

Yet they continued the work contending for the faith.

They refused to quit and “pressed toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)

Living in the end times requires living by faith and not by what we see going on around us.

Yet it is a journey of tremendous hope, blessing and reward.

Walking by faith and not by sight requires you to trust God, not knowing where you are at times in the larger scope of God’s plan and purpose.

Take the example of Abraham, “when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going”. (Hebrews 11:8)

That’s walking by faith.

Walking by faith requires a strong determination to follow God’s plan as outlined in the bible, regardless what life throws your way.

Like 2 Corinthians 4:18 urges us, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

It is a deep trust in what cannot be seen that provides hope.

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth that “we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Jesus stated, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

Jesus ascended and left his Spirit as a guarantee.

Walking by faith is sometimes lonely, except for the presence of Christ by his Spirit, left to all believers as a “guarantee” (2 Corinthians 5:5).

Christians are frequently called to stand firm in spite of the isolated place their faith leads them to.

Our faith is reasonable, but there are aspects of the gospel we accept on faith and are unable to see.

What are these invisible things?

And what is the walk of faith?

The Second Letter to Corinth

First of all, here is some context for 2 Corinthians 5:7.

Paul’s relationship with the church at Corinth was a difficult one.

Paul had led them to faith with the assistance of mature believers in Christ, but when Paul was gone the church was easily swayed by outsiders who opposed his teaching.

In Paul’s absence, they fell apart and it was easy for opponents to convince the church that his suffering was a sign that Paul’s faith was actually folly.

If Jesus Christ has really come to save sinners, how could the apostle’s life be so horrendous?

To Paul’s mind, his way of life represented faith.

How else could someone suffer so much, if not for the reasonable expectation of eternal gain? (ESV Study Bible, Introduction to 2 Corinthians).

The Corinthian church was struggling, and Apostle Paul’s letter suggests a big part of the problem was the followers trusting the Holy Spirit to work in their lives and coming to that place in their life of trusting in the promise of Heaven.

Faith is trust.

Fabulous Adventures In Trusting Him!

Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him!

Fulfilling Adventures In Trusting Him!

Futuristic Adventures In Trusting Him!

But faith in Christ does not come in the exact instant we snap our fingers.

Time and effort, trials and tribulations, radically counter cultural responses.

Faith not in what we see ‘Now’ but what we cannot see in Eternity

2 Corinthians 5:1-5Amplified Bible

The Temporal and Eternal

5 For we know that if the earthly tent [our physical body] which is our house is torn down [through death], we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ²For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our [immortal, eternal] celestial dwelling, ³so that by putting it on we will not be found naked. ⁴For while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened [often weighed down, oppressed], not that we want to be unclothed [separated by death from the body], but to be clothed, so that what is mortal [the body] will be swallowed up by life [after the resurrection]. ⁵Now He who has made us and prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the [Holy] Spirit as a pledge [a guarantee, a down payment on the fulfillment of His promise].

What does the gospel tell us which we cannot prove by way of anything other than faith?

For one thing, we cannot see what awaits the faithful around the next bend in their roadways, over the next mountain— eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

Apostle Paul is confident: “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God” (verse 1).

That building is the individual body, the church body, a real Kingdom, invisible to us for now. “We know,” says Paul; not “we believe,” or “we imagine.”

The original Greek uses “eidó,” which means “be aware, behold, consider, perceive.” “Knowing” in this sense combines knowledge with an intelligent perception of an idea, which cannot be physically represented —just yet.

Paul based his belief in eternal life on sound, objective evidence as well as his subjective, personal experience of Christ.

His suffering could have become a distraction from this truth — it certainly was for the Corinthians.

To Paul, his counter cultural response to immediate suffering was supposed to demonstrate his deep trust in what could not be seen, provide a reason to hope.

Christians “look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

A Connecting Faith

Christ’s message of eternal salvation through his death and resurrection was explosive.

Master Pharisee Saul, before becoming Paul, had originally sought to persecute these blasphemers, run them all to ground, imprison them all until he realized that the Old Testament had been leading Israel unto the empty tomb all along.

When Apostle Paul described the body as a “tent” (2 Corinthians 5:1), he was also connecting the new church with the Old Testament.

God’s people had frequently been sojourners, both in the days before Solomon and during Jesus’ ministry.

Moses and the Israelites followed a pillar of smoke and a pillar of fire, setting up temporary Sukkoth shelters to cover themselves against cold desert nights.

They had nowhere to permanently call “home” until Solomon built the temple.

The body as a “tent” evokes the Israelite’s trust God would meet their needs day by day.

A tent is impermanent, just like a body is temporary, but once this covering is shed God provides something eternally better.

Faith in the Spirit

2 Corinthians 3:15-18Amplified Bible

¹⁵But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; ¹⁶but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. ¹⁸And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

As believers, to some extent, we already see more than those who choose to turn their faces from God.

We have an “unveiled face,” although we only see “in a mirror dimly” for now, it is by faith we believe we will one day see Christ “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Meanwhile, we have the Holy Spirit.

Here is one aspect of the Christian life we cannot lay hands on and inspect up close.

There are ways to detect the Spirit in us; evidence of “fruit.”

Galatians 5:22-23 describes this fruit: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

When one has grown in any of these ways, the Holy Spirit is responsible, and we are invited to delve into and recognize this gift living inside of us and in others.

The Spirit is not a virus or an implant; it cannot be scrutinized with the naked eye or under a microscope.

Everyone holds a belief in something, and Paul says we can be confident.

That is the word used in the NIV and KJV for “courage” so “we are always of good courage” (2 Corinthians 5:6, ESV) is a statement of certainty.

Faith is not blind; it merely sees in other ways.

Every Faithful, Faith-Filled Christian

1 Peter 3:13-15Amplified Bible

¹³Now who is there to hurt you if you become enthusiastic for what is good? ¹⁴But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness [though it is not certain that you will], you are still blessed [happy, to be admired and favored by God]. Do not be afraid of their intimidating threats, nor be troubled or disturbed [by their opposition]. ¹⁵But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect.

Every faithful believer sees something that is not visceral but still real — much of our knowledge is like that.

We believe someone is trustworthy based on actions, which demonstrate their character.

We know that an event took place in history based on statements of witnesses and on physical remains.

We must examine the evidence and be ready to give our testimony, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).

We all live by faith in something, although not the same things.

It is theologically accurate to say and to insist that the Christian must always seek to live by faith and trust in God and his promises, and not be motivated by only what he or she can see and hear in their present circumstances.

But the Apostle Paul says the church at Corinth is already doing that.

Apostle Paul “directly and unequivocally says that we, all believers, do, in fact, live by faith.”

This faith must also stand firmly by the strength of internal reasoning, against external forces, and without an apostle to hold one’s hand in a spiritual sense.

The Corinthians’ faith was strong in the presence of mature disciples such as Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:18) but definitely blindsided by “partisanship, with the Corinthians factionalizing behind rival leaders.”

Paul knew what made “considerate and appropriate relating especially hard at Corinth,” which was an “unusually diverse” and tough, working-class culture.

Paul sought to “overcome the tensions these differences were bringing into the community” by talking about how to just love one another in Christ-like ways.

What Does it Mean to Walk by Faith?

Ephesians 4:1-6 Amplified Bible

Unity of the Spirit

4 So I, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called [that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behavior—a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation], ²with all humility [forsaking self-righteousness], and gentleness [maintaining self-control], with patience, bearing with one another ^[a]in [unselfish] love. ³Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful]. ⁴There is one body [of believers] and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when called [to salvation]— ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism,⁶one God and Father of us all who is [sovereign] over all and [working] through all and [living] in all.

And what about the action of walking in faith? “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” wrote Paul (Ephesians 4:1).

Our walk as Christians should be identifiably different from the walk of one who does not believe and has been saved by grace.

There is a practical element, which must not be overlooked, for if we love God there will be an outpouring of that love towards others.

Jesus embodied a unifying love for the marginalized and Paul taught that their Savior was the best example of “what a Christian leader should look like. It could hardly be more dramatically countercultural, and Paul lived out this leadership style in person.”

Yet walking, or living, by faith, is also about our relationship with Christ “God is looking for not only a clinging bride but also a walking partner.”

¹³No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you. ¹⁵I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father. ¹⁶You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you. (John 15:13-16)

When we walk with him, we recognize that worship of Christ is not so much a “catalyst” to action but “an everyday walk of unbroken communion with our Lord and friend.”

Jesus calls us “friend,” and we are called to live our lives close to him, confident and worshipful.

This is personal and real — other people cannot fill in for Jesus, whether they are our pastors or mentors or BFFs.

Such individuals promote growth, but they are not the vine.

Only Jesus is the vine (John 15).

Is Sight Coming?

Will we see Jesus when we die?

Paul says it himself: We see dimly today, but the mist will lift one day revealing his face – the veil between God and man was torn when Jesus died on the cross.

John 20:11-18Amplified Bible

¹¹But Mary [who had returned] was standing outside the tomb sobbing; and so, as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb; ¹²and she saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. ¹³And they said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She told them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” ¹⁴After saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? For whom are you looking?” Supposing that He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you are the one who has carried Him away from here, tell me where you have put Him, and I will take Him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in ^[a] Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “^[b]Do not hold Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” ¹⁸Mary Magdalene came, reporting to the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.

So, while we cannot fully see him as Mary Magdalene did right now, this definitely does not mean that we are cut off from fellowship with the Lord.

Living by faith, not by sight, is no hindrance to communion with our Savior.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 24The Message

24 ^1-2God claims Earth and everything in it,
God claims World and all who live on it.
He built it on Ocean foundations,
laid it out on River girders.

^3-4Who can climb Mount God?
    Who can scale the holy north-face?
Only the clean-handed,
    only the pure-hearted;
Men who won’t cheat,
    women who won’t seduce.

^5-6God is at their side;
with God’s help they make it.
This, Jacob, is what happens
to God-seekers, God-questers.

⁷Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
King-Glory is ready to enter.

⁸Who is this King-Glory?
God, armed
and battle-ready.

⁹Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
King-Glory is ready to enter.

¹⁰Who is this King-Glory?
God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
he is King-Glory.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

And As Enoch First Did, How Are We to Walk in Fellowship with God? Genesis 5:21-24

Genesis 5:21-24Amplified Bible

²¹When Enoch was sixty-five years old, he became the father of Methuselah. ²²Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah and had other sons and daughters. ²³So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. ²⁴And [in reverent fear and obedience] Enoch walked with God; and he was not [found among men], because God took him [away to be home with Him].

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

We are assured that no matter where our Christian walk takes us, God our Father, His Son Jesus and Holy Spirit will be there with us along the way.

Walking with God is sharing our thoughts honestly with the Lord.

That means talking with him on a daily basis.

You may be surprised to discover that of all the people mentioned in the Bible, only three—Enoch, Noah, and Levi— are expressly said to have walked with God. Their stories are found in Genesis chapters 5 and 6 and Malachi 2.

Studying Enoch’s life provides clues to how he lived a lifestyle pleasing to God.

The account of Enoch’s walk with God is told in the book of Genesis.

The writer records that Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah and then that at the age of three hundred and sixty-five years, Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him (Genesis 5:24).

This scripture reveals Enoch began to walk with God after his 65th birthday.

How old are you?

A recent newspaper article stated that today’s average life expectancy of a person living in the United States is about 75 years.

How many years have you left to walk in habitual fellowship with God?

After three hundred years as God’s habitual walking companion on earth, God invited Enoch to continue his walk in heaven.

Enoch, like the later prophet Elijah, went directly to heaven without dying.

Enoch’s goal was to walk in habitual fellowship with God.

Enoch’s goal was to reverently and obediently please God.

Think about this …. how many thousands of years ago was this ….

And how primitive or advanced was their thought process way back when?

To know what [habitual fellowship] was ….

To know what obedience was ….

To know what reverent obedience was ….to ONE God alone and not many gods?

What did it mean in that ancient context to say Enoch walked with the Lord ….

“In Habitual Fellowship” ….

What does that mean?

Above and beyond all others that Enoch and Noah were the ones mentioned?

Can you and I insert that ancient vision into our 2023 contemporary vision?

That is a pretty significant adjustment for us to make – to give Enoch a place in our 2023 pulpits, worship services, prayer meetings and fellowship gatherings.

How would that ancient witness testimony connect with our own witness story?

Would it connect with us at all?

Would it relate to us in anyway?

Would it connect us with God?

Would it strengthen or weaken or do nothing for our personal faith journey?

We know so precious little, if anything, about the actions Enoch demonstrated that God took such an extraordinary notice of – that He took Him Home (verse 24).

It would be so easy to insert our own judgments and interpretations and visions and deeds of all of those remarkable “ancient” “reverent and obedient” actions.

In the New Testament, the Hebrew writer reveals two key actions that enabled Enoch to walk with God.

By faith, Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; he was not found because God took him up, for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up, he was pleasing to God. And without faith, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:5,6a).

Enoch was pleasing to God. Enoch did what God wanted him to do. His actions reflected God’s Will for his life.
Enoch was faithful to God. The Bible says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Enoch, through his faith, pleased God. Enoch is an example of the righteous man that Paul wrote about in Romans 1: 17, But the righteous man shall live by faith.

Many people suffer from the misconception that walking with God is about church attendance, Bible study, praying, and contributing to the needy.

It’s true, people who walk with God engage in these activities.

But, Enoch’s life highlights the genuine basis of walking with God.

From the start, it looks as though Enoch fared more regrettable than the other patriarchs.

He lived on earth for only 365 years, far shorter than the other patriarchs.

Enoch was transferred straightforwardly to heaven without dying.

At that point, however, that would imply that Enoch actually lived longer than any patriarch, for he never saw death.

So, if we think about it, Enoch is the longest living human of all, even though Methuselah lived on earth for 969 years.

But we are not specifically looking at the period or lifespan of Enoch or the other patriarchs.

Genesis 5:22 is quick to break with the example seen up to this point.

To no one’s surprise, we are given the number of years that a man lived subsequent to fathering the child who might prompt Noah and his children.

This time, however, we are enlightened with something regarding a man:

“And Enoch walked with God,” a reality that will be rehashed in the verses that follow.

What Does it Mean to Walk with God?

In the Bible, the articulation “walked with God” alludes to somebody who is respectful and dedicated to the Lord, bringing about God’s approval.

For Enoch’s situation, this was so crucial a point that it is referenced two times: both here and in Genesis 5:24.

This entry is expected to clarify the genealogical record from Adam to Noah, so there are not many different subtleties given.

We truly do not know much in regards to Enoch.

In any case, we truly do realize that God decided to eliminate him from the earth before his earthly passing.

Enoch is the first of the men recorded in this section whose story does not end with the expression “and he died.”

This was an occasion like Elijah’s end of service when God took him “up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:9-12).

Up to Genesis 5:23, 895 years old is the youngest listed age at the point of death for the patriarchs.

No details are given except that God was responsible.

Physical death happened to all of the men listed, with the exception of Enoch.

Genesis 5:24 is one of the most puzzling verses in the Bible.

Considering how completely astounding and strange this occasion is, we may have expected more subtleties.

But every expression of the Bible is centered around a specific reason.

For this situation, the genuine object is to clarify the lineage from Adam to Noah, through Seth.

Most definitely, precisely what befell Enoch is unimportant.

What we can be sure of is that Enoch “walked with God.”

Truth be told, this is such a significant piece of who Enoch was that it is rehashed twice in this chapter.

To live by faith in the Almighty means to make a relationship with God part of your ordinary way of life, to respect God with your decisions in each part of life.

Enoch’s case is strange in all of Scripture, in all of mankind’s set of experiences.

What is the significance here?

Enoch “was not, for God took him?”

Obviously, in light of Enoch’s living by faith in the Almighty, God kept Enoch from passing on.

Rather, God just removed him.

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God (Hebrews 11:5).

This existence of confidence (life of faith), Hebrews tells us, satisfied God in such a way God kept Enoch from passing from this life in an ordinary manner.

So, what was it about Enoch’s walk with God?

Walking in God’s Direction

The way for us to walk is marked.

We are to watch for any obstacles that will present themselves before us, and we are to walk as Christ walked.

Walking “as he walked” or living as Christ did does not mean that we are to us pick 12 devotees, perform extraordinary supernatural miracles, or be crucified.

We cannot duplicate the existence of Christ, since quite a bit of that had to do with his way of life as God’s Son, his walk with God, his exceptional job in dying for all sin, and the social setting of the Roman world during the first century.

To live today as Christ did, we should follow his lessons and illustration of complete submission to God and to the loving service to others (1 John 2:6; 1 Peter 2:21).

Walking at God’s Pace

As we walk, we are to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Savior Jesus Christ.

We are not to try and walk ahead of the Lord nor are we to lag behind him.

Walking requires wearing shoes to help protect our feet from the elements and the terrain that we walk on.

Some are for running, walking, orthopedic issues, or just for style.

Roman soldiers regularly wore sandals (shoes), which permitted them to move rapidly during a fight and gave their feet protection.

Here Paul envisions the shoes as the “preparation of the gospel of peace.”

Shoes made a fighter prepared to fight.

The “gospel of peace” in like manner prepares a Christian for spiritual battles.

Any individual who has strolled around outside without any shoes realizes that a few regions are beyond reach when you are shoeless.

Shoes empower you to go anyplace.

The gospel secures our faith in specific essential, widespread certainties.

Without that, we would be slipping.

One of the world’s most normal issues today is that of stress, which comes in several types.

However, the peace offered through the gospel is the response to the greater part of our day-by-day tension.

We can cast our cares upon him because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

Further, interfacing the idea with the “gospel of peace” may likewise recommend the possibility of Christians bringing the gospel into everyday struggles, sharing it anywhere they go (Matthew 28:18-20).

Christians are given the “gospel of peace to be prepared for the fight to come and to help other people confronting spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:15).

Walking in Progress and Intimacy with God

Any parent knows that a child must first learn to crawl, then walk, before they can run.

A child must take simple steps first then successive steps.

Walking in progress with God means to “walk by faith.”

That means Christians are to live, make it a habit, by faith.

Suffering comes and suffering goes.

We are to live with courage and refuse to give up in our walk (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Paul tells us that we that have to accept Christ as Lord and Savior should walk (to live and think by faith) in him (Colossians 2:6).

Works are vital for the Christian life (1 John 3:17-18) but works should be the result of saving faith.

Walking in intimacy is also about honestly sharing our thoughts with the Lord.

That means we are talking with him on a daily basis.

Walking to the Destination Which God Has Prepared

Getting to a specific destination that we want to arrive at means that we must take one step at a time.

We may have to be prepared to get outside of our comfort zone.

We cannot also walk where it is easy to walk.

A smooth flat surface will not always be present for us to take our steps upon.

We are assured that no matter where or when our God starts us on our Christian walk, or why takes us, Christ will be there with us along the way (Hebrews 13:5).

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

15 God, who gets invited
to dinner at your place?
How do we get on your guest list?

²“Walk straight,
act right,
tell the truth.

^3-4“Don’t hurt your friend,
don’t blame your neighbor;
despise the despicable.

⁵“Keep your word even when it costs you,
make an honest living,
never take a bribe.

“You’ll never get
blacklisted
if you live like this.”

[Psalm 15 The Message]

https://translate.google.com/

What Does it Mean to Really Walk with God in Faith? Genesis 5:21-24

Genesis 5:21-24Amplified Bible

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

Walking with others is often a time of sacred, deeply personal fellowship.

As people traverse a trail or path together, they can talk to one another about their struggles, goals, or worries.

Many people might not even ever think about those steps they take with a friend, but walking with a friend can truly help a relationship grow stronger.

The same is true about our relationship with God.

From the very beginning, He wanted to walk with us, to know us personally, and for us to follow Him all of our days – we were created to walk with God.

When we choose to place our faith in Christ for salvation, we can walk with Him in fellowship.

No longer, do we or must we, live our lives according to the ways of our sinful nature, but we can out the days of our lives by the Spirit.

Biblical Examples of Walking with God

When God created humans, we almost immediately read He walked with them.

Genesis 3:8 describes how Adam and Eve heard the Lord walking in the Garden, they heard Him walking on leaves and branches which prompted them to hide.

They did not want Him to discover they had sinned.

Adam and Eve recognized the sound of God coming towards them, indicating apparently that He regularly walked on earth with them in Eden before the fall.

However, after Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord had hid, God could no longer physically dwell with humankind because of the presence sin.

Later, the Bible describes how other people “walked” with God, although He was not physically dwelling with them as He did in Eden.

Enoch loved the Lord and “walked faithfully” with Him (Genesis 5:24).

Interestingly, Scripture tells us that Enoch did not taste death but was taken up by the Lord (Genesis 5:24 and Hebrews 11:5).

Noah, the great-grandson of Enoch, is also described as someone who walked with the Lord (Genesis 6:9).

His close fellowship with God is significant when we remember that the people during Noah’s time were wicked and did not worship the Lord (Genesis 6:5-7).

When God the Son took on human flesh and came to earth to save humankind from their sins, He dwelled among us (John 1:14).

As part of His ministry, Jesus walked everywhere, traveled by foot constantly.

In fellowship, Christ talked to them and taught them as they walked.

For example, after Jesus was resurrected, He walked with two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus and taught them (Luke 24:13-35).

In the future, when God establishes the New Heaven and New Earth, He will physically live and walk among humans again.

John describes this truth in Revelation 21:3:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”

The Lord will dwell with and walk with believers for all eternity.

A Relationship with the Lord

Based on the examples of those who walked with the Lord in the Bible, to walk with God means we have a relationship with Him.

Adam and Eve walked with God physically but also had a close relationship with their Creator.

After the Fall of Man, humans lost the privilege of dwelling physically with God.

Also, sin separated them from the Lord (Isaiah 59:2).

Only those who had faith in the Lord, like Enoch and Noah, were able to have a close relationship with God.

The reason Jesus came to earth was so we could receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

When a person trusts in Christ’s death and resurrection for salvation, they receive an everlasting relationship with Him (John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Compared to knowing Jesus, everything else seems like trash (Philippians 3:8).

At salvation, we enter a relationship with the Lord.

However, just as people need to spend time with each other and communicate to build a relationship, we also need to spend time with God and talk to Him.

To “walk” with the Lord involves communicating and listening to Him.

Praying to God is essential, but we must also read and study and pray through His Word, which is the way He speaks to us (Hebrews 4:12).

Furthermore, Christians need to discipline themselves to regularly examine their lives to ensure nothing hinders their walk with God. (Psalm 139:23-24)

Sin interferes with a believer’s relationship with God.

If we confess our sins, telling God that we know we did wrong, then He is “faithful and just to forgive” (1 John 1:9, NLT).

Thus, we need to examine ourselves regularly and confess our sins to the Lord.

In addition to confessing sins, believers need to be aware of anything that distracts them from walking with Christ.

Some of these distractions include sinful thoughts, behaviors, and doubt (Matthew 6:14-15, 24; James 1:6-7).

However, good things can also distract us, such as focusing too much on a career, a family, a human relationship, a comfortable home, or a hobby.

In these instances, we need to obey the words of Scripture and die to ourselves, so we can learn better follow the Lord and invest in our relationship with Him (Matthew 16:24).

A Way of Life

In the Bible, to walk with the Lord involves having a relationship with Him, but it also means living a specific way.

To walk with God means we are living in obedience to His standards instead of our own.

Scripture poignantly, succinctly, tells us to “walk humbly with your God,” which means humbly submitting ourselves to His direction (Micah 6:8).

At salvation, we receive the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who baptizes us (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Titus 3:5).

Holy Spirit enables us to live and walk in the way God desires.

In turn, we must follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our own Christian walk (Galatians 5:16).

As Paul emphasizes in his letter to the Galatians, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25, NKJV).

To live in obedience to God, we must have faith.

The Bible tells us that “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7, ESV).

Often, when we follow the Lord’s leading, we will not know what lies ahead.

For instance, Abraham had to walk by faith when God told him to sacrifice Isaac, his promised son (Genesis 22:1-2; Hebrews 11:17-19).

For clarity, God did not want or command human sacrifice (see Jeremiah 19:5; 32:35).

He wanted to see if Abraham would trust Him (Genesis 22:12).

Likewise, some of the things that the Lord asks us to do might not make sense at the time, but we can trust Him and step out in faith.

Finally, when individuals walk with God, others will take notice.

The fruit of the Spirit and Christlikeness will characterize their life (Galatians 5:22-23; 1 John 2:6).

Those who walk with Jesus will talk about His love and demonstrate that love practically to others.

Instead of seeking their desires or preferences, they will want to obey God’s Word no matter the risk.

This does not mean they are perfect.

All believers will continue to struggle with sin.

However, Christians who are walking (Micah 6:8) with the Lord will enjoy a strong relationship with Him, will seek to live according to His principles, morals and ethics, instead of the sinful standards of the flesh and the world.

What Does This “Walking With God” Mean for My Life?

Walking with God means having a connectional relationship with Him and living, walking, a certain way that follows His standards based on Scripture.

This is important to all people because humans were created by God to love God and ultimately give all the glory, honor and praise and their thanks to God.

However, our sin separates us from Him.

Believing in Jesus’ death and resurrection is the only way to restore this vital relationship.

Once we trust in Christ (John 14:1-14), we can begin walking (Micah 6:8) with Him.

As part of our walk with the Lord, we need to prioritize our relationship with Him by spending quality time in reading, studying His Word and talking to Him.

Also, we need to examine ourselves regularly to see if any sins or other things in our life are hindering or distracting us from spending time with God (Psalm 51).

Finally, we need to listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance so that we live and walk in a way that is more consistently pleasing and perpetually honoring the Lord.

“Walking” with our Lord in fellowship and obedience is the best way to live.

Psalm 15 The Message

15 God, who gets invited
to dinner at your place?
How do we get on your guest list?

²“Walk straight,
act right,
tell the truth.

^3-4“Don’t hurt your friend,
don’t blame your neighbor;
despise the despicable.

⁵“Keep your word even when it costs you,
make an honest living,
never take a bribe.

“You’ll never get
blacklisted
if you live like this.”

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

An Attitude Adjustment? How Can We Know ‘Goodness and Mercy Will Follow’ Us When We are Hurting? Psalm 23:6

Psalm 23Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
³He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

One of the great hymns of the faith is “Surely Goodness and Mercy.”

In its verses, this hymn summarizes what is taught in Psalm 23.

The chorus, of which I’m sure you are familiar, simply quotes verse 6.

Please read Psalm 23, then sing along with this hymn (at least verse 1):

A pilgrim was I, and a wandering—In the cold night of sin I did roam

When Jesus the kind Shepherd found me—And now I am on my way home.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days, all the days of my life;

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days, all the days of my life.

If you want to keep singing, then you’ll have to look up the other verse in your hymnal or online, but please wait to do so until after you have finished reading the rest of this devotional.

Of all the words that David could have used to describe the blessings of God, he chose “goodness and mercy.”

In this brief study of this Psalm, we have previously talked about our Shepherd providing for us, about restoring our souls, leading us, comforting us, securing us, anointing us with oil, fattening our lives, and overflowing us with blessings.

David sums all this up as “goodness and mercy.”

Goodness supplies all of our needs, and mercy saves us from our sin.

What wondrous blessings our Shepherd has lavished upon us!

Yet, the focus of this final verse is not on the blessings of goodness and mercy, but on their temporal extent—how long will they last – they will last forever!

God’s goodness and mercy will follow me “all the days of my life.”

This means that God is good and merciful when the days are bright and sunny, and when the days are dark and grey.

God lavishes me with goodness and mercy in the days of feasting and in the days of fasting.

God shows me goodness and mercy when I am in the prime of life, and when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!

But God’s goodness and mercy are not limited to this life only!

They will be shown to me “forever!”

When I pass from this life to the next, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord.”

I will not be condemned to destruction.

I will not be made to pay for my sins.

I will not be isolated from my Lord. I will dwell in His house forever!

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me, all the days of my eternal life!

What Does ‘Surely Goodness and Mercy Will Follow Me’ Mean?

This verse appears in the beginning of Psalm 23:6.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

King David wrote this Psalm.

It very eloquently an passionately speaks of the goodness of God.

One of the rewards of being a Christian is the love that God shows to us.

He loves all His creation.

However, submitting to God and accepting Jesus Christ as personal Savior affords us special benefits.

As Christians, God’s goodness and mercy are available to us even when we miss the mark.

We have access to Him through Jesus Christ.

We can ask for forgiveness, and it is like we have a clean slate.

You will not receive this sort of treatment from man.

Man keeps a record of our faults and is quick to remind us of who we were.

Sometimes it is hard to imagine someone just forgetting about all the stuff that you used to do, but that’s God. God sees our worth.

He sees the brighter picture.

Jeremiah 29:11 reads, “I know the plans that I have for you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

I pray that God will help you to grasp what it means to know that goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life.

The goodness and mercy of God especially follows you when you are hurting.

Psalms 34:18 says, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saved such as be of a contrite spirit.”

Contrite means to show remorse or be filled with guilt.

You can feel the presence of God draw near to you best when you are in tears.

That is a comforting feeling.

Even when no one else wants to listen, God will draw near to you.

You might say goodness and mercy have not always followed me.

The Bible says that “in this life you will have tribulation but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

God’s peace will allow us to remain stable in an unstable world.

His peace has already overcome the world.

What is the Context of Psalm 23?

Most Christians learned Psalm 23 in Sunday School, or your parents made you read it at home until you memorized it.

In the Kingdom of God, people are often referred to as sheep.

The church leader or pastor is referred to as the shepherd.

Here King David uses the imagery of a shepherd to show God’s blessing and protection of His people (The KJV Study Bible, Barbour Publishing, 2011).

You might ask, why does my pastor care about what I am doing?

As much as we do not like people in our business, pastors are shepherds.

Ultimately, God will hold them accountable for how they tended the sheep.

We are sheep.

If you go line by line, you realize that since the Lord is your shepherd; you shall not want for anything.

I have heard some Saints say that they do not want for nothing.

Think about your life.

You have everything that you need and many things that you want.

You have so much stuff until you must give it away annually.

I know people with some incredible wardrobe closets.

A lot of people would be happy with just two week’s supply of the clothes in someone else’s closet.

God gives us what we need and much of what we want.

When God makes us to lie down in green pastures, that is symbolism for basic needs.

Verse three says “He restoreth my soul.”

God restores you when life or the enemy seeks to depress you and worry you about the cares of this life.

All humans sleep and should wake up refreshed.

I remember the host of times when I have felt that I had a difficult day, all I would desire to do, is to just go to sleep where ever, when ever convenient.

When I would awaken, I would feel refreshed and just have a different outlook on things.

It is a trick of the enemy to make us feel like our situation is the worst that it could be.

That is why you and I need to discipline ourselves to read the Word of God every single day, pray the Holy Spirit, and find out what God says about the situation.

God as shepherd also guides us.

Psalms 23:4 says “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

We should not be fearful living this life.

God is our shepherd.

Many times the wife and I I have driven by the scene of an accident and thought that if we had been five minutes earlier, that could have been us.

God is going before us and making the crooked places straight (Isaiah 45:2).

We have been, by measures and degrees ill and perhaps even sometimes close to death, but our ever vigilant God sets his rod and staff, keeps us here on purpose.

There are twists and turns on this walk called life, but God is always near us.

Verse five says “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over.”

I have been in both enlisted in the Navy and an Officer in the Army.

I have completed both of their Basic Trainings.

During marches from this point of some place to that far off place called “somewhere else, who knows where,” we sang cadences to keep in step.

I have often marched to the song;

“You dig one ditch, you better dig two.”

“You never know whose coming for you!”

Often, your blessing is in the presence of your enemies.

Everyone is not your friend, and you are a nice person.

Different people have different motives and intents, but the plan of the Lord prevails (Proverbs 19:21).

Like a Lion lurking in the brush, the enemy of mankind is wily and persistent- constantly looking to redirect our steps away from where God requires us to be

It is important to note that if you know the purpose that God has for you, you need to stick with the plan, aware of the plan and let Him work out the kinks.

You can talk to God about issues and ask Him to fix it.

Sometimes, I am amazed at what He will do if you just ask Him.

It is even better when you can hear that He is listening.

So I try to be careful about what I say and do because I know that He is listening, and we can always on the fact that He will at the most inconvenient of time (for me anyway) “drop a dime” on you and a quarter on me and on those around us.

God also gives us integrity checks.

So step up to the test.

God, your Shepherd is with your every single “pilgrim” step of the way.

What is God’s Goodness?

God’s goodness is His love.

God is love and, God is good.

Many of us can say that we do not deserve to be here.

Sometimes people do not want God to have mercy on people that have done some awful things.

I remember a soul chilling phrase from the movie Chicago when the defendant was asked why she killed someone. She said, “He had it coming.”

I am still amazed about who God chooses to use.

He is not calling us up and asking for permission to use certain people.

God looks at the heart and sees how repentant people are (1 Samuel 16:7).

His Word says that He is married to the backslider (Jeremiah 3:14).

When we sin, we must repent.

God knows that we are not perfect.

He knows that temptation and trials are all around.

We must get in the Word so that we have some help for what we face.

Look to Luke 15:11-32.

Read about the prodigal son.

He came in like a spoiled brat and demanded what he thought was his.

You normally get these things at the reading of the will.

His still living father gave him his inheritance early.

The younger son went away, lived his life as he saw fit and best for him and in the midst of all his presumed joy and happiness, things did not go as planned.

He ended up broke, wishing he could eat any food with the pigs.

He stood up, took a long accounting of himself in his mirror, returned home, presumably by the longest and the narrowest and the safest paths possible.

Amazingly, Radically, His father waited at home, treated him well at his return.

Sometimes, God will allow us to learn, earn our Doctorates in Life, through the “long way around the barn” school of hard knocks, but in His goodness and in His mercy He remains steadfast, waiting at home, stands ready to receive us.

How Can We Know Goodness and Mercy Will Follow Us Every Day?

Episode by episode, long experience, David knew God’s record of faithfulness.

Episode by episode, experience by experience, we too can know God’s record.

If you have been around for any length of time, you have experienced God’s goodness and his mercy and probably never even fully realized it every day.

If you need confirmation, become the prodigal son as he turns away from the smells and sights of the pig sties, turns around, determines that at no matter what the cost in time and effort and risk, steels himself, and just goes home.

Become that prodigal son and on the “journey home” just search the scriptures.

Look at the scriptures from beginning to end and the many clouds of witnesses.

Read the stories, as much as humanly possible, pray the scriptures, purposely become the people of the scriptures – become like Abraham, leave it all behind.

Pick everything up, go to that far off, unknown place where God is sending you.

Where step after step, meal after meal, day after day, trial after trial, tribulation after tribulation, God is setting up your table of abundance in full sight of every single enemy who will seek to stop you in your tracks from going home to God.

How long did it take for the prodigal son to finally crest the hill where he finally saw, took a glance of home – the Lord who is our Shepherd, guided every step!

Along the way, how many fields and meadows and still waters did the prodigal take his rest in, refresh and bathe himself by and long gulps, slaked his thirst.

Most importantly, look at Jesus who God sent as a sacrifice and atonement for our sins – because ultimately – that prodigal son – made it all the way home.

Hard steps?

Absolutely to be expected ….

Yet by Psalm 23, we must not allow ourselves to give up on the goodness of God.

Because our Father awaits us at our eternal home ….

“AND WEI SHALL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD OUR GOD, FOREVER ….”

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 24 The Message

24 ^1-2God claims Earth and everything in it,
God claims World and all who live on it.
He built it on Ocean foundations,
laid it out on River girders.

^3-4Who can climb Mount God?
    Who can scale the holy north-face?
Only the clean-handed,
    only the pure-hearted;
Men who won’t cheat,
    women who won’t seduce.

^5-6God is at their side;
with God’s help they make it.
This, Jacob, is what happens
to God-seekers, God-questers.

⁷Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
King-Glory is ready to enter.

⁸Who is this King-Glory?
God, armed
and battle-ready.

⁹Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
King-Glory is ready to enter.

¹⁰Who is this King-Glory?
God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
he is King-Glory.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Luke 22:54-62 Amplified Bible

Peter’s Denials

Many Will Worry About Keeping God’s Love

Responding to the Lord’s “Once In a Lifetime” Look

Luke 22:61-62 Amplified Bible

Do We Lose God When We Are Selfish and Sad?

John 21:15-17 Amplified Bible

The Love Motivation

Psalm 13 The Message

Psalm 139:23-24 The Message

Share this:

Habakkuk 2:1-4 Amplified Bible

God Answers the Prophet

Simple Keys to Hearing God’s Voice

Studying, Pondering, Meditating, Ways to Regularly Hear from God

1. Recognize that God created you for a very personal relationship.

2. Consider your motives for wanting to hear from God.

3. Make your goal more than just hearing God.

4. Know that you’re important to God, but be humble.

5. Don’t try to force God to tell you something.

6. Recognize that God communicates in many forms.

7. Renew your mind.

8. Invite the living Word to help you when you read scripture.

Hebrews 4:12 Amplified Bible

1 Timothy 4:12-14 Amplified Bible

9. Recognize God’s voice above all others.

10. Set aside time regularly to listen for God’s messages.

2 Timothy 2:14-15 Amplified Bible

An Unashamed Workman

Share this:

Psalm 119:129-136 Amplified Bible

Pe.

Blessings From God’s Word …

Teach Me Your Statutes, O God …

Ah, the Sweetest Mystery of Life …

Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:6Amplified Bible

Men Are in the Hand of God

A Puzzle and a Song …

Romans 11:30-12:3Amplified Bible

Dedicated Service

Share this:

John 14:1-6Amplified Bible

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

What About this “Heavenly Mansion, Heavenly Home?”

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13Amplified Bible

God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man

Where is Heaven?

John 14:1-3Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus Comforts His Followers

Hebrews 12:22-24Amplified Bible

What is Heaven Like?

Jesus Has Our Eternal Travel Itinerary Already Prepared For Us

John 14:1-7 The Message

The Road

Share this:

Matthew 18:1-6Amplified Bible

Rank in the Kingdom

Growing Up to Become a Child

Descriptions of a Childlike Faith

Faith which is Rooted in Security

Psalm 131:1-2Amplified Bible

Childlike Trust in the Lord.

A Song of [a]Ascents. Of David.

Faith Which Praises

Matthew 19:13-15Amplified Bible

Jesus Blesses Little Children

Faith Which Believes

Faith Which is Humble

Hebrews 12:1-3Amplified Bible

Jesus, the Example

Matthew 18:6Amplified Bible

Concluding Thoughts ….

Psalm 17The Message

Share this:

1 Corinthians 12:4-11Amplified Bible

Spiritual Gift of Faith

Here is how we can define the gift of faith:

Hebrews 11:1-12 The Message

Faith in What We Don’t See

Faith in Scripture ….

A Song of ^[a]Ascents. Of David.