As you go through each day, please remember that someone is praying for you, somewhere. It may be a relative or a friend who has met you.
What have you been thinking about today? God has been urging me to spend more time with Him. For that desire to grow, it must be fed. If I have a proper "fear of The Lord," then I see Him with more understanding than I used to have.
God has put into the hearts of all who trust in Him, who fear Him with that reverential fear that urges us to want to honor Him, and to show Him we believe He rules over all that is in the universe, and we want that belief to shine through all that we do. We desire to please Him, in all we do. We believe He has all power in Heaven and in earth! We know He knows all that can be known, and at a much higher level than we are able to achieve. His thoughts are not our thoughts! His ways are higher than our ways!
"The fear of God" is hard for me to describe, in a way. Do you who believe also find that concept difficult to describe? Is it something you "know" deep inside? I am not asking if that is part of its definition. I mean "is it something that you, yourself, are aware of and knowledgeable of?"
God has enabled me to understand it within my own heart. And I wish all who read this blog would also know what the "fear of The Lord YHWH" means. Then we could all *live it,* as He desires we do. It leads us to do *the right thing* at all times. The fear of The Lord YHWH is the beginning of (true) Wisdom. That is true.
I will trust that He will also enable you to understand it, in a deeper way, once you have chosen to believe in and let yourself become aware of all that Yeshua (and YHWH) is and all that He wants you to know and all that He wants you to become.
There is a wonderful, most inspiring blessing in the first chapter of Paul's (Rav Shaul's) letter to the believers in Yeshua the Messiah who lived in Colossae, long, long ago. This blessing can be found in Colossians 1, verses 9 through 14 (and beyond).
I have included the entire chapter, so you can enjoy reading it all. God's Word is so rich and inspiring! I love reading it. Taking in and "digesting" the nourishing "food" that God Himself (YHWH) inspired men to write as "words" lifts me up, even while I may be in a period of life in which there are many tests, that make my journey similar to gold or silver being purifed with fire seven times. Once it has had all the dross removed by the refiner, it shines! And the refiner can see His own Face in that silver (or gold)! I want that! I want Yeshua my Lord and Deliverer / Redeemer to see His own Face reflected in my life. !!!
God uses all events and circumstances in life, as our ancestors knew well, to teach us, and to grow us, into His bright, even brilliant, diamonds. But diamonds endure much heat and much pressure, to become as beautiful as they are. ! He desires we allow His abundant, life-giving Light to shine through us into others' lives, so that they, in turn, can pass that spark (Light) on to still more people.
That way, God shows us that He desires all to have an opportunity to become aware of Him Who made us, and knows us better than anyone else can. He is the generous One, Who suffers with us, but Who also chose to give of Himself and of His Life, to make us honorable vessels He can use for good. He can fill us with His Life-giving power of genuine Love. And with that, He can let that Love overflow to others we meet.
He is The One Who intimately knew (while He was on earth) the griefs that we have experienced, and was tempted like as we are ... even to complain (though He did not choose to complain), or to ask His Father questions such as "why must I go through this?" or "why don't You come now and deliver me from this hard time? or this difficulty?" He knew why. He wanted not His Will to be done, but that of His Father in Heaven.
Yeshua, the true Anointed One, God's Messiah, really did take our griefs upon Himself, and He bore all our sorrows, while He hung (as a "curse") on "the tree" ... what many believers call "the Cross." He was despised and rejected by men who simply could not see Who He really was! But He voluntarily did it all ... for you and for me! wow! How limitless is His agape Love for you ... and for me! How generous the King of Kings is!
He desired fellowship with us! ... with you! ... and with me!
He says in His Word He rejoices over you (and me) "with joy"! Think about that!
His thoughts about you are so numerous every day that they cannot be counted (by a person)!
Do I allow Him to enjoy fellowship with me, in the way He wants us to spend time together, every day?
Do each of us set aside time to spend with our Best Friend, Who knows you and me much better than anyone else does, and yet He still chooses to show us the kind of unconditional Love that we do not deserve?
Will I be so glad to meet Him face to Face, that I can hardly stand to wait until that happens?
Do I look forward to dying (by Him designing it or allowing it, not me) so that I will "ever be with The Lord" of glory, *enjoying* His presence, because I have spent much time with Him, while on this journey on earth, in preparation for that time eternal, in Heaven?
Will I give Him my time, today? Will I choose to "meet" with my generous Giver of Life today, ... my gentle Deliverer, Who loved me even when I was unloveable and selfish (before I accepted His free gift of deliverance from the punishment I deserved for my sins and iniquities)?
Will I spend time with my groom?, my Prince, today? He is my Knight in Shining Armor! I am part of His bride, which is made up of all believers who have put their trust in Him, as Messiah Yeshua, our Redeemer.
Do I delight in Him? Delighting in Him, alone, can do things so wonderful and blessed that we can only know them by giving our whole lives to Him and to His service, for the rest of our days. !!! Delighting in Yeshua brings us more joy than we can express in words! This joy is only known by those who also experience those same joys, ... they are found only in fellowship with Him -- Yeshua, The Lord of glory. Through prayer! Through studying His Word! Through meditating on verses in His Word!
Will you think about this?: He has chosen you! (He has chosen me!) He has ordained me (He qualifies "the called"!), that I should go forth and produce fruit (souls He has "won" into His Kingdom, through me sharing Who He truly is, and what He has done in my life to bring me rebirth in Him), and that that fruit should "remain." (last) -- as He says in the Gospel of John, chapter 15, verse 16.
Only what I do righteously for God's glory will last. The rest will be burned up.
What will you do with this Man? -- The One Whom I call Yeshua?
He is waiting at the 'door.' He is a gentleman. He is patient, kind-hearted, and gentle.
He is humble and meek -- with His Strength under control, and He realizes Who He is, under His Father's authority.
Do I understand who I am? Do I realize how much I must depend on Him, every moment? -- for breath, for life, for everything I need ...
He can be trusted! He does all things the best way. He knows what I need, to make me more pure in heart, and more compassionate toward others.
He knows how to mold me, into the brilliant diamond, or the honorable vessel of clay, that He can use to point others to new life in Him, and to a most wonderful, most fulfilling and complete Life, in Him. But will I cooperate with Him, in the times when He must chip off my rough spots, or the parts of me that do not let His Light of Love shine through to others?
Let's choose to allow Him to do His purifying work in us. It hurts, while the "purifying" or "work of purging" is going on, but only because we want things as we like them. And even that would not be satisfying, truly. We deceive ourselves in that way. ... His Way is always best!
We can choose to see that, in all events of life as believers, He will ever be with us, and will guide us through all dark valleys into a wide and level place of Light (He calls it, in His Word). He will never forsake us, nor will He leave us.
He is ever with us! And He walks with us and goes through all that we go through. And He only allows as much as we can handle, with Him. He always enables us to bear it, but we must cry out to, or call upon Him, to help us and enable us to endure. He will give us strength and determination to do what is right, and do it wholeheartedly, knowing He fights all our battles, in reality. And He never loses; He always wins!
If we try to go through it and deal with "life," (on earth) by ourselves, by making our own decisions, or without asking Him to help us through it, we will miss all the help and sufficiency He has available to us, as His children.
Let's trust Him! He will carry us through! He holds us up with His everlasting Arms (of victory)! He cannot fail! He knows the end of all things! His plan is to bring us into our (and His) desired Haven of Rest! That is Yeshua! (and one might also say it is "Heaven")
May the Lord of goodness, Shalom Peace and true completeness and fulfillment fill you with reassurance that He will surely deliver you ... from all that you need deliverance from! He knows it all!
~ your friend who cares ~ (the blog owner)
The verses below were found at: http://www.bju.edu/bible
Colossians
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Chapter 1
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it , and knew the grace of God in truth:
7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it , do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say , whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please share your kind words with us. If you want to rant, do not waste our time. Shalom