Psalm 27

Psalm 27

A Psalm of fearless trust in God.
    a Psalm of David

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?
When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident.
One thing I have asked from the Lord, I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;  He will lift me up on a rock.
And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts o joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to The Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice,and be gracious to me and answer me.
When You said," Seek My face," my heart said to you, "your face, O Lord, I shall seek."
Do not hide your fa e from me, Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation ! For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the Lord will take me up.
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a level path because of my foes.
Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and such breathe out violence.
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.

This is one of my favorite Psalms as it has such a wonderful message of God's grace towards us, and we can see how much David trusted in the Lord. And of course the last verse is absolutely perfect, since the Lord is good and He is perfect.

Forgiveness the lesson from the cross

Everyone makes mistakes. It is part of our imperfection. But the beautiful part about being a believer is that God forgave us of these mistakes. In Christ Alone (the hymn which the Presbyterian Church recently dropped) a line from the second verse states “Till on that cross as Jesus died / the wrath of God was satisfied.” I happen to love this line, because I know that if it weren’t for Jesus’ willing sacrifice on the cross I would still one day stand before the Father and listen to all the sins I have ever committed against Him, knowing that my only eternal home would be in the fiery depths of hell, where unrepentant sinners are doomed to an eternity of damnable torture. Yet I have faith in the Lord Jesus and in his willingness to take on my sin and all the sin of the world so that I could rejoice with Him and the Father in heaven, rather than suffer in hell.
 Because of this faith, I understand that God’s wrath against me is satisfied. It is important to understand that at the end of times it is not Jesus’ love that will save us if we are unrepentant and do not understand the implications of Christ’s crucifixion. God’s wrath still burns against us if we are double minded, if we do not ask for wisdom, or if we ask without faith James 1:2-8. At the time of judgment, the Bible clearly states that the Lord will not remember Jeremiah 31:34. There is nothing Christ’s love can do if we do not accept God’s commandment…Which brings me to the point of forgiveness.
Christians understand that the Lord died a horrid death to forgive our sins against the Father. If we accept this forgiveness in faith, we are saved. And if we do not accept this we are damned. Throughout the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Jesus warned us of this. The Apostles in Acts, and their letters to first century churches warned us of the folly of not having faith in the Lord.  I want you to take a moment to ponder Christ’s death...

Now I have a couple of questions.

 Do you believe that He died so that you might live eternally in heaven? If the answer is Yes, move on to the next question. If you don’t, then keep thinking on Christ’s death and its implications.

“Do you desire to honor Christ? [If the answer is Yes] then you are saved, because you have been made willing by God”(John MacArthur, August 25th, Grace Community Church 10:30 am service.)

Short side track here, Pastor John was preaching out of John 5. He applied the second question to us out of the example of the Jew’s who had spent their entire lives (centuries of practicing Jews) looking for the Messiah. And because He did not come in the way they had expected him to, they rejected him. They accepted John the Baptist as a prophet, and they denied Christ because He was not the princely ruler on earth they had been expecting despite his miracles which they had accepted. 

I can apply this question to my blog, because honoring Christ is as simple as obeying his commandments. If we desire to obey his commandments then we desire to honor Christ. Forgiving and having forgiveness is one of Christ’s commandments. Matthew 18:21-22. When Jesus said seventy-seven times seven He did not mean that when you reach the 539th time of forgiving your brother you can quit. He meant that you must forgive the one who sins against you infinitely. You can never quit forgiving.

 Which segues me back to my introductory sentence: everyone makes mistakes. No one is without sin; in fact we reek of sin in our actions, attitudes, and thoughts. We do things against our families, friends, employees, employers, and even strangers and most of the time without the slightest qualm. And yet when someone does something that hurts our feelings, or wrongs us in some way (great or small), we are quick to withhold forgiveness…for years even.

We say what they did was so wrong; it offended me so much that I can never forgive them. And we hold anger in our hearts, not love, not kindness, not mercy, not forgiveness and those are all things CHRIST had for us when he died on the cross. Christ did not die angry. He died with love and forgiveness for us. In fact He asked God to forgive the men who crucified Him. CHRIST WAS MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD AND HE STILL FORGAVE(IVES), HE STILL LOVED(S), HE STILL HAD(S) MERCY AND COMPASSION. Christ died willingly for the salvation of many; he suffered the most for our transgressions on the cross. And that is not looking at the trials he faced while he walked on earth. We have an intercessor in Christ, because He faced the exact same temptation we do and He overcame. In James 1: 13-19 we see that God does not tempt, because He cannot be tempted. And then we ask if Jesus was fully God how then was he tempted? And the answer is because He was also fully man and man can be tempted.

Jesus knows our struggles he has seen the failure of others and known the heartache. He stands up for us when Satan makes claims against us when we are repentant and upright. Jesus knows our fight and only through Him can the war be won. He does this because the Father forgave us through Him and we accepted the free gift of love through our faith.

What I want you to understand, beloved, is this. If we do not forgive and we hold the lust of hatred in our hearts we do not accept Christ, we do not accept His free gift of salvation, and we do not accept our place in the Fathers home. I beseech you, my friends, to think twice about the forgiveness you have been offered and how you will act next time your fellow sinner sins against you. If you have accepted Christ and desire to honor Him and if you wish to be led by the Holy Spirit do not close your hearts to his word. If you find that forgiveness is going to be hard for you to achieve remember to ask the Lord to help you come to a place where grace can be offered. But do not forsake forgiveness, because its healing power is greater and more wonderful than you can ever imagine. Remember that every just and good thing comes from the Lord.


As Paul said Grace and Peace to you my friends from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm, Proverb and New Testament Verse of the day

I have decided that in order to give ya'll something to read whilst I am in between posts, I would provide you with a Psalm, Proverb and Verse of the Day. Granted it is inevitable that I will fall short of this goal of daily posting however, I will do my best to ensure that you have something to read. :)

 Psalm 41

 How Blessed is he who considers the helpless; The Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble. The Lord will protect him and keep him alive, And he shall be called blessed upon the earth; And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies. The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health. As for me, I said, "Oh Lord, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You." My enemies speak evil against me, "When will he die, and his name perish?" And when he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood; His heart gathers wickedness to itself; When he goes outside, he tells it. All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt, saying " A wicked thing is poured out upon him, That when he lies down he will not rise up again." Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me. But You, O Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up, that I may repay them. But this I know that You are pleased with me, Because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And You set me in Your presence forever. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Isreal, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

 Proverbs 3

 My son do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof. For whom the Lord loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain is better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways and her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast. The Lord by wisdom founded by the earth, by understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the deeps were broken up and the skies drip with dew. My son let them not vanish from your sight. Keep sound wisdom and discretion, so they will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck.Then you will walk in your way securely and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden fear no the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, "Go and come back and tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you. Do not devise harm against your neighbor, while he lives securely beside you. Do not contend with a man without cause, if he had done you no harm. Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his way. For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; but he is intimate with the upright. The curs of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. Though He scoffs at the scoffers, yet He gives grace to the afflicted. The wise will inherit honor, but fools display dishonor.

 2 John 1:7-11

 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the anti-christ. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who give him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

 Take heed my friends, the only sure promise of a fulfilled everlasting life, is that which is in Christ. We are blessed through the study of the Lord's word and we are saved by our faith in the saving grace of Christ's crucifixion. Be ever cautious of the great deceiver. Ask the Lord to be gracious toward you, ask for forgiveness and be willing to forgive. And as David instructed Solomon so to this message is for us, do not let kindness and truth leave us, for in these things we honor the Lord. In the words of Paul in his benediction to believers "grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ."
Amen

Growing in God

I know I have been a few months since my last post, but there has been a lot going on in my life.  For starters, I graduated from college with my B.A. in History.  Secondly, I got married to the man of my dreams, and we moved from Kansas to California two weeks ago for him to start seminary at The Master’s Seminary in August. I am choosing to write about these past few months, because throughout the time leading up to our move I have learned a few lessons on this journey through God’s provision.

At the beginning of this journey, Tim filled out the application, and it took forever for us to hear back from the seminary. The application was sent out February 21st bright and early.  We did not hear back from the seminary until April 15th when we got the acceptance letter. In that time, we were waiting on Tim’s references to fill out questionnaires to ensure the selection committee of Tim’s integrity in the realms of work, personal life, and Christian faith.  When we didn’t hear back by March 20th I was convinced that seminary was just not for us. In fact, I was sure that we had heard nothing back from The Master’s Seminary because of my background in an abusive relationship with my ex-stepfather. Despite reassurance from my Dad, Tim, and other members of my family that a seminary would not censor with a bias against those who come from abusive backgrounds.  But I was still convinced that my past was what was keeping us from even hearing back from them. When Tim called to let me know that he/we had been accepted, I broke down in tears of joy. But I was still in shock that we were supposed to go until I had seen the acceptance letter myself.
Lesson one and two of this: God doesn’t hold a grudge just because my past is darkened by the actions of others. And it also doesn’t mean I am the un-doer of all good things (Matthew 26:26-28, Luke 44-49).  I remind myself a little bit of Paul after his conversion, only I didn’t have to gain the trust of those around me. I had to completely put what little trust I had left in God and allow Him to work, because of my inability to see myself as worthy of His blessings. It was only through His provision that we were welcomed to study under John MacArthur and his colleagues.

Graduation, marriage, and monetary issues are other areas where I had to learn to trust. I guess I could call myself an AA personality. If I could micromanage every nanosecond of not only my day but of everyone else’s, the world would probably seem a little easier for me to cope with. However, micromanagement is not an easy way to live, nor is it something I suggest others try. It is a side effect of wanting to always be right, regardless of the outcome, and of living in an abusive situation. Working on a senior project, planning a wedding, and not having a large disposable income is enough to drive any normal A or B type personality past irreparable insanity.  For me, I was somewhat of a sociopathic bridezilla, and despite the fail safes I had planned to keep myself sane during April and May, I still found myself to be a twitchy, impatient, sick to my stomach, exhausted, fed-up, graduating bride. And then my Dad had a heart to heart conversation with me. Dad lectured me on how being this type of person was not Christ like, and how not putting my trust in the Lord or not giving Him my troubles failed to glorify Him. In neglecting to ask for His help and to ask for it faithfully I did no good for His Kingdom. Dad pretty much asked me if I thought Christ had thrown a hissy fit when He came to earth to be the perfect sacrifice to save us from eternal damnation. Well to be perfectly honest, I thought about it and I couldn’t imagine God stomping His feet, screaming, crying, and making an absolute fool of Himself.

Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

                                                                               ~Philippians 2:5-11

Lesson three: Christ called us not only to follow Him, but to be like Him. This means having the patience and serenity to gracefully accept the things I can’t change.  Jesus walked quietly to Calvary towards his death (1 Peter 2:22-25) for our salvation . He asked for the Father to forgive those who hung Him on the cross (Luke 23:34). He was as humble, innocent, and perfect as a sacrificial lamb (Genesis 8:21 & Ephesians 5:2), and while we aren’t of divine nature (2 Peter1:4, 1 John 3:2), we too should strive to be like Christ was on earth (Philippians 3:12-16).  Genesis 8:21a and Ephesians 5:2 talk about how the perfect sacrifice was a pleasing aroma to the Lord. In 2 Corinthians 14-17, Paul writes of how Christians also carry this aroma, because whenever we are faithful and are an influence for the Gospel of Christ God is pleased. Also the perpetuation of the Gospel assures that when He comes back to claim us, we will be refined to perfection by our faith (Romans 3:22-24); we will be rewarded because we have strived for moral perfection, righteousness, and have had joy through strife (James 1:2-6, 2 Peter 1:6-9).  I realized that being an AA personality is more of a hindrance than a help. And while I still struggle with wanting to micromanage everything, I have gotten much better about just stepping away from the precipice of drastic measures and letting God’s provisions work in my life, rather than getting angry.

Now we are in California, looking for jobs, getting established, and getting used to Los Angeles traffic. It’s hectic, strange, and not at all like home; and yet God provided for us again. We have a great place to live, and back at home we have a cheering section that is compiled of family, friends, and friends of family. We are renting a 10 x 10 room from a family here in California.  They treat us like their own kids, and have been such an amazing blessing that it’s hard to believe that I ever doubted God’s provision. Yes, I regret not putting my full trust in Him, but even in my prayers when I ask Him to forgive me for doubting, I still know in my heart that He will continue to love, protect, and lead me down the pathway He has chosen for Tim and me. The other day, I was asked how I felt about making such a huge change in my life. I was honest. I said at first I wasn’t too keen on the idea of moving to a new home, starting a new church and job, and I was very nervous about acclimating to California society.  But once I got here, and I met fellow seminary wives, and some of Tim’s fellow seminarians; I knew instantly this is where we are meant to be. This is how I am going to learn to be a helper, and this is going to be a blessing for not only us but for those around us.
I cannot promise to never doubt again, but when it comes time for us to move on to the next thing I can say I will definitely be more open and willing to answer the call. Especially since I know God’s love never fails, and that God never gives up.  Ever.

A few points on knowing God

Psalm 46: God the Refuge of His People
1God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. (Selah) 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High.5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.7The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has wrought desolations in the earth.9 He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”11The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. (Selah)

Cease striving and Know that I am God… CEASE STRIVING and KNOW that I am GOD!
The other day as I was getting ready for my 8 am History class, I was jamming to my tunes and Michael Bublé’s You Don’t Know Me came on. As I sang along with the words, I soon realized that Jesus could apply these words to many believers who claim to know Him. We give our lives to Him, but everyone can tell we think we know Him. He loves us and wants us to really, truly, whole-heartedly know Him. Knowing God is more than just attending church on Sunday. God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent and it’s very hard for our human minds to conceptualize such an august idea. But knowing God isn’t impossible, in fact knowing God is quite attainable with some dedication and willingness to let him work in your life through the Holy Spirit.

The number one thing we have to remember about God is that He created the whole universe in its entirety, we created nothing, and he is the grand designer. In Him we have a refuge and strength, and consistent help, we cannot fear when he is on our side, because God is the man. Psalm 46 tells us how God cares for his people “if God is for us who can be against us?” Romans 8:31b. and since He cares for his people, we shall never want for anything. CEASE STRIVING and KNOW that I am GOD! Even though we should live lives that are not lacking in any shape or form, we do. Why? Because we simply do not let go of the trivial, humanistic issues we have in our lives. It’s so much easier to just run around with duct tape and crazy glue, trying to keep up appearances and opinions, right? Wrong. I can attest to this first hand… I’ve always seen myself as a helper, first I was going to be a nurse, then a teacher, then a neuro-surgeon, soon after that a college professor and finally after changing my mind umpteen million times and trying to run all over this green orb trying to fix things, did I realize that God is the only one who can fix it. I also had to realize that I have been given the GRACE to watch his majestic, healing, awesome, righteous plan unfurl before me and other believers in that blinding glory which only He can achieve. When I finally let go of all my own personal desires, did my life get going. In a matter of weeks; I met my Fiancé, changed my major, left a less than bright family life, and grew stronger in my faith and willingness to do God’s will. It was and still is amazing. CEASE STRIVING AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD; I WLL BE EXALTED AMONG THE NATIONS. If Verse 10 of Psalm 46 didn’t jump out at you, I’d be surprised. It is the only time throughout the entirety of the Psalm where God actually speaks! What is He telling us here? Why is it here? Well first off if you cannot tell it is a Comfort to his people, and a warning to those who do not believe. If we know God we have nothing to fear, not even fear its self Mr. Roosevelt.

The Second thing we need to know about God… He is victorious. Always! Psalm 47 discusses how God is the King of the earth and how He is victorious. The entire New Testament is how Jesus, fully man and fully God defeated Death, and rose victorious over the grave with the promise that we too shall join Him. I know that I have stressed the last point before, but it is imperative that we understand it! If we do not understand this, knowing God is going to be a real chore. If we go through life just being a good person, staying out of the way, avoiding confrontation, helping those in need but never once giving glory, laud and honor to He who has made us in His image and sent His son as a man to die on a cross so that we might be redeemed from the evil one WE FAIL to know God. Often times, knowing God means we have to change our world views. Now you’re probably saying, well what’s wrong with my world view? There is nothing wrong with how I live my life, which in your opinion is most likely true, but you have to admit life isn’t easy right? And since that is the honest truth, we often have to look at our lives to see what changes need to be made.

Thirdly we must remember while contemplating our lives that God doesn’t Compromise.  He isn’t some real-estate agent you can sit down with and barter a land deal; He isn’t business partner, He DOESN’T WANT ANY EARTHLY KINDGOM FOR YOU! He wants you to give up your fleshly desires and pursue Him openly; He wants you to need Him.  He wants you to be like Paul. Paul, previously known as Saul before he came to Jesus, gave up his zealotry for persecuting the Church and Christians after he was blinded, by a bright light, on the road to Damascus. “And he was there three days without sight, and neither ate or drank” Acts 9:9. Paul’s sight was restored by Ananias who laid his hands on Saul and said “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”Acts 9:17b-17c. When Ananias did this immediately Saul’s sight was restored and he was baptized. Saul amazed people with is 180 turn around and rightfully so, because Saul had persecuted believers not three days before. Saul stayed three years in Damascus till his life was threatened by Jews, who were still confounded by Saul’s about face, and he had to seek refuge in Jerusalem, and then he was eventually sent to Tarsus because Saul kept stirring the Pot when it came to the Jews. We know that Saul, went on to become Paul and Paul did a great many works and deeds for the new church, covenant and his zealotry for the word, truth, faith and all things godly helped plant the churches foundation in the first century as strong as it did.

Why did I choose Paul when there were more stalwart and righteous men to choose from?  I chose Paul because we mirror Paul. We are zealotrous for; Truffle Oils, Ipods/Ipads/Iwhatchamacallits, Gucci, Prada, Audi, money, fame, adrenaline and we make fun of and/or persecute those of us who cannot/do not/ will not join us in our frivolous addictions. One important thing I’d like to point out is this… when a person becomes a new believer the one thing we should be zealous for we work to subdue, and that is our faith. Young believers should be zealous for the Word, they should jump to defend it, crave to know it better and faster 1 John 2:13-14. As we progress we should grow wiser and stronger in our knowledge of the Word, and while we should never lose our zeal we should exhibit a more dignified enthusiasm. We should grow in our faith, not stay loose cannons, we should want to be able to civilly make our points and know that GOD has it under control. CEASE STRIVING AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD, how refreshing.

The fourth point, we often have a hard time grasping is the fact the God is like a dad. He loves us, He provides for us, He is there 24/7/365 anytime, anywhere, any way. Abba, Father! Jesus called him Daddy on the cross! What?! Yes, yes He did. Jesus called God, Daddy, because He was the son of God? No, he called God Abba because that is the kind of relationship Jesus had with God, and that is also the kind of relationship He wants with us! Now I feel like I’m really rocking some peoples worlds and that is perfectly fine, because it’s true. God wants us to come to him for every stinking detail of our lives, good, and bad, ugly, annoying. He wants every part of it; He also wants us to live forever, to be clean, and believers in Him and Jesus Christ His son. Now that’s a pretty sweet deal, we have a God who wants to give us all these things if we would just know Him, especially as our daddy.

Fifth on the list, Gods love is everlasting. God’s love doesn’t have an expiration date, it never goes bad and it is always available. And if you think you can just return the love after you’ve accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior and that you can just walk back out the door to the life you lived before because being a Christian just isn’t cool, or it’s too hard, or whatever you decide Christianity isn’t for you… Buddy you have another thing coming. God is going to pursue you to the ends of the earth looking for you. Just like the parable of the lost sheep… God’s going to bring you back to the flock where you’re safe and secure from harm He’s going to be your comfort, and your guidance. God is going to lead you places you never thought you could go by yourself… and your right you can’t do it by yourself you need God. It’s all part of being your daddy Philippians 1:6.

Finally Knowing God is Just is a part of knowing God.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God". Romans 8:18-21. 

All of these previous points help us understand how God cares for us, what kind of a relationship he wants with us and this point shows us that while we suffer here on this earth, His kingdom is forever. His time is prefect, and when we allow for Him to work in our lives, they get a lot easier. And when the testing of our hearts comes, we shall be rewarded justly for their contents.  God was just with Job, just as he was just with Paul, Samson, Jezebel, the Israelites, Kings David and Solomon, Aaron, Ruth, Abraham and Isaac and everyone else. God is just, He is the ultimate judge and Jesus is our intercessor.

There are many more aspects to knowing God, but these are six huge parts of knowing Him. I will periodically post more elements of knowing God. But for the mean time, ponder these thoughts which have been written so that we might all benefit more from knowing Abba a little better. CEASE STRIVING and KNOW that I am GOD!

In the words of Paul, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:3

Our Alabaster Boxes

The Alabaster Box
Luke 7:36-50
A Woman Anoints Jesus’ Feet
 36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
The Parable of the Two Debtors
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”“Tell me, teacher,” he said.41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
This story has many lessons. The first and most obvious is: do not assume that God doesn’t know your sins. Secondly, God forgives us as we repent and ask forgiveness for the acts committed against him. He loves us and wants us to know his love. When the Pharisee chose to point out that the woman who had thrown herself completely into washing and anointing Jesus’ feet was a prostitute and was, in his mind, not worthy of the honor, Jesus, knowing Simon’s mind, said that the woman’s faith was what saved her. In the parable verses 41-43 of Luke 7, we see a forgiveness that was unconditional.  This means that neither of the men had to accomplish a task in order to receive forgiveness of the debt (sin), out of this unconditional forgiveness comes love.  The woman had faith in Jesus, therefore she came to anoint his feet; and she did him the greatest honor and received forgiveness for her sins. As a result of her forgiveness, she loved much through her faith.
The woman in this story should be an inspiration to us all, especially now when our society has become a “Me” society.  She came before her Lord, and gave her most important and valuable possession to glorify and honor Him. From an early age we are taught that we should work towards self improvement by acquiring the best of everything: educations, jobs, homes, reputations, children, pets, food, etc. We are not taught to give freely and openly. Most of all we are not taught to give sacrificially.
Sacrificial giving is something that is hard to do. It requires that we retire our “Me” mentality and think on the needs of others. It means softening our hearts and making ourselves available to give more than just a twenty on Sunday morning. Now you’re probably questioning why anointing Jesus’ feet with oil from an alabaster box and washing his feet with your tears is sacrificial, and I can answer that. In the time of Jesus—and even now—Alabaster was a very rare and fine item to possess. It signified your ability to afford luxury items. Secondly, the oils would have equaled about a year’s salary for the woman. Considering the fact that the box was most likely a gift and the oil would have been her bartering tool for her daily needs (and it was all that she had), when she brought them to the feet of Jesus to bring to him the highest honor, she gave sacrificially to do so.
I have thought a lot about this and how it pertains to our walk as Christians, and I have come to realize that we all have an alabaster box within ourselves and it contains the most precious thing God has given us…our spirits. We are told in Revelation that we will cast our Crowns before Him, and we will all be rewarded for what is in our hearts. If that is the case, wouldn't we want our hearts, our alabaster boxes, to be filled with the sweetest and most fragrantly pleasing oils? Despite the forgiveness we have received for our sins, shouldn't we want to live a life that is “a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness? 4 [Which] through these He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1:3-4.
Because we should want these things, and to perpetuate them through our daily lives, I continue with Second Peter 1:5-9, BECAUSE, Honestly Peter nails the reason to the floor.
5 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure; they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.”
He makes the point that all of these things starting with faith add up to love. And Love is what died on the cross for us in sacrifice so that we could be forgiven of our sins and Love more because our sins are great. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters”1 John 3:16. Sacrificial giving is a sign of love, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and mutual affection. All of these things Christians exhibit, it’s all part of imitating Christ. Peter gives us assurance in verses 10-11 of his second letter. And assurance is a wonderful gift.
“10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11.
We will receive a rich welcome, where we shall cast our crowns, anoint His feet, praise Him, and worship Him in unadulterated awe. Where our sins shall no longer torment us, and we shall celebrate with our Bridegroom the sacrifice He made for us so that we could enter into the eternal Kingdom of Heaven with those of us who share the same faith.