Reading through I Samuel, I've been reminded how David began his reign as king of Israel. He has already been anointed by Samuel yet King Saul was still in power and because the Lord was with David, he wants to have him killed. What was awesome to see through this time of exile for David was how he communicated directly with God and He kept him from harms way. Also, he was hiding, but with 400 - 600 men with him. Now it would be easy to hide among that many men, but trying to hide all of them would be ridiculously hard.
I don't know why it's harder to hear from God directly now that it was back then, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying. I believe it means we just need to try harder.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Psalm 84
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
O Lord of hosts!2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.t6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.t6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.12 O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.12 O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
Oh how sweet it will be to dwell with God for eternity. It's hard to imagine what it will be like, but one thing is for sure, it will be lovely. From all the descriptions of hell, eternal darkness, it sounds anything but lovely compare it to this praise of heaven, it's really a no-brainer. Yet there are many who say that none of this exists, or hell will just be a eternal party with all the other "sinners". Personally, I can't put my mind around either of those. If there is nothing after death, what is the point of doing anything while you're here on earth? why would miracles happen? what would be the purpose for life in the first place? And as for a eternal party, who would want to party with all of the notorious murderers, dictators, and the such if that was even the case. I believe it will be complete and udder darkness, alone...can you imagine what that would be like...sitting in a completely dark room by yourself, for the rest of eternity...that is all of our destination, at least what we deserve.
Praise be to God for having a plan to redeem us and set us free from the captivity of sin, that we can have hope in this life for something better coming. I know I do not deserve to be a part of God's eternal dwelling place, but I pray, beg, faint, long for it and hope that I can be a servant or even less than that just so I can be in His presence.
Jon
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Proverbs 21:2-3
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart.3 To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
It's so easy to justify our own decisions and think it's ok. God doesn't really care about what we think is right in our own eyes, He cares about what is in our hearts. It's also not about sacrifice, more that we are righteous and just, as they are more acceptable to Him than anything else we can "give" Him.
Just another reminder that we can't work our way into heaven, we have to believe and prove that belief by our actions.
but the Lord weighs the heart.3 To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
It's so easy to justify our own decisions and think it's ok. God doesn't really care about what we think is right in our own eyes, He cares about what is in our hearts. It's also not about sacrifice, more that we are righteous and just, as they are more acceptable to Him than anything else we can "give" Him.
Just another reminder that we can't work our way into heaven, we have to believe and prove that belief by our actions.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
John 1:29-34
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!30 This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.'31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."32 And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."
It always strikes me as AWESOME, when people are able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah by just seeing him. I wonder what it would have been like to see Jesus, face-to-face. There must have been something special about his persona.
In our day-to-day lives, I believe that we do see Jesus, in people, circumstances/situations, relationships. I think though that we can easily miss him if we're not in-tune with the Spirit and not constantly watching for God-sightings. This passage just reminds me that I need to be more aware of everything going on around me, not just physically, but spiritually as well. To acknowledge my Maker as often as possible for His constant presence.
It always strikes me as AWESOME, when people are able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah by just seeing him. I wonder what it would have been like to see Jesus, face-to-face. There must have been something special about his persona.
In our day-to-day lives, I believe that we do see Jesus, in people, circumstances/situations, relationships. I think though that we can easily miss him if we're not in-tune with the Spirit and not constantly watching for God-sightings. This passage just reminds me that I need to be more aware of everything going on around me, not just physically, but spiritually as well. To acknowledge my Maker as often as possible for His constant presence.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)