creative.writings
yes Lord I will follow (as long as it is where I want to go)
There are many fascinating records of both obedience and disobedience to the Word of God. Certainly the record of Adam and Eve indicates that people had a problem obeying the voice of God from the time they appeared on this earth. Throughout the book of Genesis we can see great examples of people who obeyed the Word of the Lord and received His blessings and those who disobeyed and suffered the consequences.
Without question one of the most detailed examples of this whole thing is documented in Exodus through Deuteronomy as the children of Israel would receive the Word of God from Moses. If anything can be learned from the 40 years they spend in the wilderness it is that by nature, people will find every good reason to NOT believe the Word of God more times than doing whatever it takes to believe it.
Over time, God utilized the ministries of His Prophets to speak forth His Word in the Old Testament. For the most part the words of the prophets fell on deaf ears. When the terrible things the prophets would say would come if the Word of God were disobeyed happened, the people blamed the prophets for bringing them upon them. The result was the martyrdom of many spokesmen for God who were killed for their words.
Although he was never killed for being bold enough to speak the truth in love, the prophet Jeremiah certainly had more than his fair share of disgusting and humiliating experiences during his lifetime. Who could possibly forget the time the king was so mad at what Jeremiah said that he ripped up the Word of God thinking that would get rid of it. Of course it didn't work.
Jeremiah was so hated and despised that they buried him in a dung hole up to his head. To those involved, this action communicated their utter and total disdain for the words Jeremiah spoke more than if they killed him. Most men would certainly have pulled an Elijah and ran for the nearest cave to beg God to kill them after what Jeremiah went through, but Jeremiah was the energizer bunny and Timex watch of all prophets. He took a licking and kept on ticking and he just kept going and going and€...
Perhaps one of the most intriguing exchanges Jeremiah had with those in charge of Judah came in chapters 42-44 of Jeremiah. Sometime when you have a few minutes read those chapters and see for yourself that when Paul writes in Romans that all men are liars, he was speaking the truth for sure.
Desperate people do desperate things and that is exactly what took place in these chapters. First they tell Jeremiah to tell them what the Word of the Lord is and that they will do it fully and then when he does and it doesn't fit with what they wanted to do, they turn around and do exactly what the Lord said would lead to disaster. They knew all along that they were going to go to Egypt, and they just wanted Jeremiah to tell them it was ok with the Lord if they did. The problem was it WASN'T.
Jeremiah chapters 42 and 43 should be required reading for anyone claiming they want to hear what the Lord wants and will do exactly what He says but only if the Word of the Lord agrees with what they want. Listen folks; if we say we want to hear the truth no matter how hard it is to handle, then we can't run for the hills when said truth goes against what we WANT to do. Either we believe the Word of God or we don't. That is the great lesson Jeremiah 42 and 43 teaches us.
dost thou trust?
"Now oh whom dost thou trust." - Isaiah 36:5
Reader, this is an important question. Listen to the Christian's answer, and see if it is yours. "On whom dost thou trust?" "I trust", says the Christian , the Son the man Christ Jesus. I trust in Him to take away all my sins by His own sacrifice, and to adorn me with His perfect righteousness. I trust Him to be my Intercessor, to present my prayers and desires before His Father's throne, and I trust Him to be my Advocate at the last great day, to plead my cause, and to justify me. I trust Him for what He is, for what He has done, and for what He has promised yet to do.
the god who feeds us
The God Who Feeds Us
Isaiah 55
Imagine a person coming to the end of their life. What kind of life experiences would a person near the end of life most likely describe as deeply satisfying?
Love of God and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, finding the love of your life and marrying her/him, memories of wedding, honeymoon, great lifetime experiences, children and the love you share with them, love of parents, family and friends.
Personal Reflection. Reflect back over the past week or two. What experiences have left you feeling empty? What experiences have been deeply satisfying emotionally and spiritually?
Read Psalm 23:5
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."
Read Isaiah 55
1. Psalm 23:5 tells us that God prepares food for us. What responses do you have to the thought of God wanting to provide you with nurture?
I'm so grateful to God for his lovingkindness towards us. We need not worry about problems or the provision of food. He knows what we need even before we ask! He gives us what we need when we ask within his will. I was reminded of Jesus saying: Mat 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? He nurtures us in so many other ways, too.
2. Psalm 23:5 states that God feeds us in the presence of our enemies. What enemies (perhaps spiritual) are you aware of in your life?
The constant threat of Islamo-fascist terrorism. The licientiousness of the liberal left and how they want to change America from its Judeo-Christian roots and heritage into a secular-humanistic pagan culture.
3. Isaiah 55:2 asks us why we would spend money on what does not satisfy. How do your enemies tempt you with things that do not satisfy?
Enemies of the Lord do not desire to adhere to God's laws and commandments. So, the enemy of our souls attempts to lure us into the bondage of sin through temptation. It could be lusts of the flesh, wealth, greed, gluttony, theft, dishonesty, you name it! Anything that is not of God, Satan will tempt us with! But when we rely on the Lord, day by day, hour by hour and moment by moment, the devil cannot get ahold of us. In fact, the Bible says "resist him and he will flee from you!"
4. What would it be like to think of yourself eating peacefully and richly at God's banquet table, aware that God is protecting you?
I would have no fear of anything. I would know that I am His and He is mine, so I can partake of "His table" and know that I am forever protected as one of His own!
5. What does Isaiah 55 tell us about God?
What stood out most to me was:
Isa 55:8 ¶ For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9 For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
This is why everything we say and do as Christians should be according to what God has said in his word; not man-made ideas. His thoughts are so far above our thoughts, that we need his word each day for guidance towards being more like His Son, Jesus Christ, and obeying His word, day by day.
6. What are we invited and instructed to do in this text?
We are invited to delight ourselves in the Lord. By following God's Word, it will not return void in our lives. The wicked and unrighteous are invited to return to the Lord. We learn that His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. This is why we need to heed and follow God's Word!
7. Describe a time when you were aware of God providing emotional or spiritual nurture to you.
When my grandmother died. Also, when I couldn't (in my own strength) convince my sister that a certain boy she was dating was bad news. The Lord came through in the weakest moments.
8. What is the "good" that God wants to feed us (Isaiah 55:2)?
The goodness of the Lord and His Word! Don't get involved in things that don't satisfy and perish. Delight in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our heart! We don't need to substitute imperfect things. He is perfect and is what our soul needs and desires.
9. Isaiah 55:7 describes God's mercy and pardon. How is the experience of receiving God's mercy part of the experience of being fed by God?
What we need is salvation from the penalty of sin. God's mercy and pardon is afforded to us when we turn back to Him and repent! The only way to satisfy our longing souls is to be filled with God's Holy Spirit! Everything else is just so secondary!(I have a t-shirt that says, "Christ is life; everything else is just baseball.")
10. Isaiah 55:12 describes gifts of joy and peace. In your experience what is the connection between experiencing joy and peace and being nurtured by God?
Despite all the turmoil going on in the world, we know that Jesus Christ has "overcome the world." We are to "take heart" in this miracle called salvation! God's word tells us that when we belong to Him, "no one can snatch us out of His hands." Our eternal destination is secure! What a joyful hope this is! No matter what happens in this life, no matter how long I live, no matter how or when I will die, I will go to be with the Lord and dwell in His house forever! What else could I possible want or need?
11. Isaiah 55:2 God invites each of us to come to God and to experience our "soul delighting in the richest of fare." Take a minute of quiet to put yourself in this picture and to reflect on this image. What thought and feelings do you have as you reflect?
light in a dark place
The world is filled with lost and dying souls.
But you won’t just find them in the usual and expected places - like the dark, mean streets of our cities or some distant, unexplored jungles, or tropical, remote islands. If you want to see where these forlorn souls are living, just look in the cubicle right next to you. They are working alongside you under the florescent lights of your factory floor. They drink coffee with you and sit next to you at lunch.
The American workplace is literally filled with millions of the lost and dying.
As motivated believers, we know that we need to reach out to these people. We need to live like cities on a hill, uncovering our lights so that all men may see. It is our obligation, our duty, and our joy to share God’s Good News. And so we desperately look for just the right moment to pounce, for the perfect time to use spirit-filled persuasion to save another hopeless individual to experience God’s grace. We rush head-long into battle hoping to save just one soul from the clutches of the evil one.
But when the moment arrives, when we are presented with that perfect opportunity to shine our light as a witness for Christ, nothing happens. Something is wrong. The light bulb is burned out. Our outer bulb appears fine and there is electricity running through us but our inner filament is broken, rendering us useless and unable to provide the light that is in such critically short supply in our world.
Perhaps the reason for our limited success is that we just can’t connect to the world that surrounds us. If only we could find the right words to say. If only we could find the perfect message that will bring light to the dark world we live in. With so many Christians on the rolls and supposedly available to spread the Gospel, why aren’t we winning more people to the faith? What is wrong with our approach to bringing Jesus to new prospects?
What are you thoughts?
language
“[A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.] O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”- Psalm 63:1
When you look at this scripture, we always think he was in a dry and weary land in his walk with God. He was actually in a desert. The desert of Judah. It is dry there. No water. No plant life. No nothing. David was crying out because his love for God. Why do we always suspect as soon as someone worships or praises God that there in trouble? Many praise God because they simply love Him. David was in this dry land. David was a songwriter, a poet, a man of God. He throws his voice to the sky and sings, "O God, you are my God...my soul thirsts for you." What an amazing chorus! My soul thirsts for you O God. Now stop right there...lets scroll down a bit.
My question is...
Where is your passion for the Lord? Do you cry out to God like this? Do you know HOW TO worship? I find myself telling God most of the time that my words don't mean anything if I don't worship Him. Your words don't mean anything if you don't worship the Lord. Trust me. You're just blowing air!
Scripture tells us that in the last days, men and women will be obsessed with words and not the power of God. You're probably asking, "then what about preachers and teachers?" Glad you asked. Even preachers and teachers are obsessed with words. We find words that are most powerful to use. To pierce through the hearts of people. But...
Paul tells us that we can have our words, we can have our hands, we can have our whatever...but if we don't have love...it's all meaningless.
Words are powerful. Do you find yourself condemning? Uplifting? Negative? Encouraging? How do you label your words with your personality?
[O God, teach us to listen to You. Help us to hear what You have to say. Be the light to our feet and direct us in the way we should go according to what Your word says. Help us not be so obsessed with the meaning of words more than being obsessed by a the loving touch of Your arms. It's Your words that are powerful. It's Your touch that is unmatched. Thank You Jesus.]
Let your words speak encouragement to people. Let your words help people to love God. "Jesus didn't come to condemn the world"...so you shouldn't either. I sent an email to a few chosen people asking them to comment something about words and how powerful they are along with a scripture. I'm gonna list a few:
"Satan, who is the inventor of broken promises, loves it when you join his club. God, the One who never lies, really cares if you keep your promises. If you say you'll do it, do it. Whatever it costs, keep your commitments, because it will cost you a whole lot more not to." - Ron E.
"It seems strange to think of demons acknowledging Jesus' Lordship, but this passage uses this image to demonstrate that simply saying you believe in Jesus is not enough--even the demons do that! Our actions, not our words, will ultimately demonstrate if we love Jesus or not. James 2:9." - Jason G.
"In this list of the characteristics of a holy person, take note of how many of them are related to speech. A godly person avoid slander, keeps his word, and speaks only what is true. Psalm 15:1-5." - Cheri K.
"Watching our words and speech is a major theme in the Bible. This passage describes the importance (and difficulty) of gaining control of our tongues. Words have more power over us and others than we care to admit, so it's critical that what comes out of our mouths is praiseworthy. James 3:1-12." - John B.
"The Bible is full of cautions about the power of words to do both good and evil. This proverb contrasts the destructive power of careless with the encouraging power of wise and well-thought-out speech. Proverbs 12:18." - Barb P.
"Usually we don't have malicious intent, but still our runaway words leave wounds and walls that we may not even realize. Often we'll say something that we've forgotten by bedtime, but the person who heard it may remember it for years to come." - Harold J.
"Words have the power to hurt and to intimidate. But they also have the power to encourage and to heal." - Jessica H.
"Wisdom, the world's or God’s? My grandfather who was a carpenter always told me you measure twice and cut once. The theory was to make sure your measurements were correct as you can always recalculate, but once the wood is cut wrong, it is wasted... John 3:13-18." - Jeff M.
Be blessed today on your walk with God..and watch how you use your words. Praise Him with your lips!
have you ever felt like sitting down and just writing what you thought? basically, this is my way of letting things go from my heart to your heart. some writings may be my opinion or just what i think. perhaps a good discussion or mind-boggler. call it what you want and enjoy. thanks for visiting my site.
