Your Christian World

God Gave Noah The Rainbow Sign -Angela Grim

2012-03-04T14:15:00.000-05:00

Noah

2012-03-04T14:09:00.002-05:00

One Heart, One Way

2010-01-05T02:29:00.002-05:00

This is a short study on Jeremiah 32:26-44

Jeremiah 32:38 "...And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:(39) And I will give them one heart, and one way..." God forgives His people. He makes this promise to those who call on His name, who believe in Him, who believe in His Son, Jesus. In John 14:6 we read of Jesus speaking to Thomas: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." "The way, the truth, and the life" was promised long before Jesus was born as a baby in Bethlehem. Our God of grace and mercy had a plan to gather His people unto Him, to not let them slide away. He sent Jesus to fulfill that plan. Is the Father calling you home today? May He give us each "one heart, and one way" which is unified in Him and His love!

26 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, 27 Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? 28 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it: 29 And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger. 30 For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the Lord. 31 For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before my face, 32 Because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33 And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction. 34 But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it. 35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. 36 And now therefore thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; 37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: 38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: 39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. 41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. 42 For thus saith the Lord; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. 43 And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans. 44 Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the Lord.

Three points out of this text, that the Lord wants us to know are:

1 Nothing is too hard for God!

2. He will give us a heart for Him; one heart, one way. Jesus is the Way.
3 Even in His just anger for our sins He stands willing and ready to forgive; it's a promise.

We just need to accept His forgiveness....

Jeremiah 21:1-5 speaks to us today...

2010-01-01T08:28:00.004-05:00

¹Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,
²And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:
³Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.
⁴For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.
⁵But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.

Jeremiah's times were no different than today. We are all sinners in need of grace. We are living in violence and unrighteousness. We need to be reminded to take care of the husbandless and those without parents. We sit under the severe threat of judgment from above. Let's look up and pray to be used by God to alter the sin of the times and to help bring a wave of Christian Revival across our great land!

A New Year's Resolution

2009-12-27T09:24:00.003-05:00

Living to Him

As we move closer to welcoming in the new year, let's remember our focus:

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." (Rev. 4:11, KJV)

The Lord of all creation left His heavenly home to dwell with us, mere mortals though we are, to Shepherd us...

Psalm 23
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. (KJV)

...And He died for us.

2 Corinthians 5:11 Therefore, because we realize how greatly the Lord is to be feared, we are endeavouring to win men over, and God recognizes what our motives are, and I hope that you, in your hearts, recognize them too. 12 We are not again commending ourselves to your favour, but are furnishing you with a ground of boasting on our behalf, so that you may have a reply ready for those with whom superficial appearances are everything and sincerity of heart counts for nothing. 13 For if we have been beside ourselves, it has been for God's glory; or if we are now in our right senses, it is in order to be of service to you. 14 For the love of Christ overmasters us, the conclusion at which we have arrived being this--that One having died for all, His death was their death, 15 and that He died for all in order that the living may no longer live to themselves, but to Him who died for them and rose again. (Weymouth New Testament)

Let us resolve during the coming year to live less to ourselves and more to Christ.

Mary, The Mother of Jesus

2009-12-14T09:48:00.007-05:00

What a distinguished title she bears! Mary, the mother of Jesus is "blessed.. among women" (Luke 1:42), yet, like the rest of us, she was merely mortal, merely human in design and purpose, but, like the rest of us, God intended great things for her life. He intends great things, not according to what the world, our friends and neighbors, perceive of as being great. Greatness is measured, I think, in Christianity, according to the humbleness with which we submit ourselves to God's will. The word "great" can be used to show a large amount or a certain distinction.
We need to look at how much of ourselves, how much of our will in fact, we are allowing to be used by our Father in heaven. How "great" is our desire to serve Him? Our rewards in heaven will reflect our willingness to serve. "The meek ....shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5) The great things that God intends for us shall be ours as we bend towards Him.

Mary submitted her will to her Father and I admire her as I admire other heroes and heroines of the Bible. I'm awed by her because in her mere humanity she set aside her "self" and placed God's will for her in the preeminent spot. She carried her cross before Jesus instructed us to do so.

She was clearly human and not to be reverenced, as some do reverence her, but she is to be respected.

To be an unmarried pregnant teenage girl is probably the least on any wish-lists of aspirations for our lives. Yet, after the angel explained God's purpose for her, "...Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." (Luke 1:38 a,b KJV).

Oh, to be like Mary! Completely subservient to God's will for our lives should be every human being's desire! To live as He wants us to live and to live out His calling on our lives should be our hope and our dream! We are so caught up in our humanity and our selfish wishes that we forget that God intends a greater purpose for us than what we conjure up in our own minds. The possibilities with God are limitless! Yet, we limit our possibilities by getting in God's way. We organize and plan and presume what God wants for us. Our presuming gets in the way of our ultimate fulfillment! Our desires ultimately bring our defeat, UNLESS they are in alignment with God's will for our lives.

Pray, pray pray, every Christian, every seeker of truth and beauty. Beauty, real beauty, can only be found in holiness.* Mary was beautiful, to be sure. This lovely young woman was beautiful in her adoration of her heavenly Father. Her devotion of Him was manifest in her heart.

Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, ⁽⁴⁷)And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. ⁽⁴⁸)For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. ⁽⁴⁹⁾For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. ⁽⁵⁰⁾And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. ⁽⁵¹) He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. ⁽⁵²⁾He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. ⁽⁵³)He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.⁽⁵⁴)He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; ⁽⁵⁵)As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. "(KJV)

Mary understood this much of the will of God for our lives. In verse 2 she exclaims "He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree." It is understood that Mary and Joseph were peasants. Priority was not even given to Mary, as a pregnant woman, in securing a comfortable room at the crowded inn. But, as she prophesied, "all generations" would call her "blessed". She was exalted in her blessedness; she was not exalted over any other woman, but being blessed elevates any one of us in our own lives. We are exalted over what we were before we accept Jesus into our hearts! We are exalted within our own lives when we accept God's will for us and carry out his plan for us. But life on this earth will never be perfect. Mary also experienced great sorrow in watching her Son die the wretched death that was necessary for her, and every other human's, salvation.

One of the lessons we can learn from Mary's life is that our ultimate fulfillment in our lives and as Christians, lies in totally giving our lives over to our Lord. We must fully look at the answer to this question: To whom does our life belong?

*Psalm 22:9 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.(KJV) Sin is the opposite of holiness and sin is ugly.

The Stone Which the Builder's Rejected

2009-12-07T22:27:00.005-05:00

The prophet Isaiah promises a hope for the future which will be fulfilled in Jesus. Part of the prophecy of the coming Messiah that Isaiah gives, is as follows:

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7) Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (These verses and text were posted under the title "The Christmas Story".)

This prophecy is yet to be totally fulfilled. It will be fulfilled after Jesus comes again! If we look at Mark 12 we see a parable which explains the rejection of Jesus when He first came:

1) And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a place for the winevat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2) And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3) And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4) And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5) And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. 6) Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7) But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8) And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9) What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. 10) And have ye not read this Scripture;

The stone which the builders rejected
is become the head of the corner:

11) this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes? 12) And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people; for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.

The husbandmen here are the vineyard keepers. In verse 7 we see that they want to kill the heir in order to take possession of the inheritance. From the preceding chapter we know that Jesus is addressing the chief priests, the scribes and the elders. These are ones in a position of authority who indeed did reject the Stone which became the Cornerstone. Many people ask,"Why did the Jews, Jesus' own people, not believe?" Well, some did believe. The majority did not, in part, because their leaders lied to them desiring to keep the human power and prestige for themselves.

If you believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, and in fact, God himself then this is a joyous season as we know that Christ came as a baby because of His love for us. He didn't have to come, but as we see in the above parable, the Father sent Him. He came in obedience and was rejected by His own people. Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If not, pray today. Reject, not Him, but your sin. Repent. Turn to Jesus. Ask for forgiveness. Dedicate your life to Him. Ask Him to come into your heart in His great and wondrous love. Become "one of His own." Let me know if you've accepted Jesus so that I can pray for you. If you have questions, ask! I'll try to help!
Will you make Jesus Christ the Cornerstone of your life!

The Fruit of Thy Womb

2009-12-05T22:02:00.008-05:00

Please read Luke 1:26-42 which I posted yesterday under the title, The Christmas Story

Mary was indeed blessed among women. Chosen to carry the Christ Child and to rear and nurture Him, she was both honored and given a serious obligation. She reverently took on the task as she was a godly woman. Her troubled state and her fear were outweighed by her responsibility to God.

The angel 's greeting to her surprised her and made her wonder. Which one of us, when called upon God to achieve something in His name, would not wonder, "Who, me?" Jeremiah worried that he was too young to speak for the Lord and Moses worried that his speech was not good enough. The angel Gabriel assured Mary that there was no need for fear. He was sent with a message from God to tell her that she had found favor with Him. She was chosen among all women to bear His Son. The plan of salvation would soon be implemented and she was a vehicle to be used by God Most High. When Gabriel finished his message, her reply was simple: "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." The angel left and Mary hurried to see her cousin Elizabeth who was also experiencing a miracle birth! "For with God, nothing shall be impossible." (vs. 37)

Three things I see in this part of the Christmas story are:

1. Miracles are common!

2. God uses the faithful.

3. The importance of encouragement.

Let's first look at Miracles. One dictionary definition states that a miracle is "an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs"* Mary definitely experienced a string of extraordinary events beginning with an angelic visitation, a message and messenger directly sent from God, a supernatural pregnancy and also indirectly through her cousin who, "filled with the Holy Ghost", recognized the enormity of Mary's blessing; "blessed is the fruit of thy womb."(Luke 1:42c)

The Christian who is filled with the Spirit of God experiences many extraordinary events which he recognizes are of God. When we walk with the Lord, as Mary did, and are filled with the Holy Spirit, as was Elizabeth, our very lives become extraordinary. We are open to a visitation by an angel or the Holy Spirit. Anything can happen! Is there anything ordinary about God? There is nothing ordinary about our walk with Him. He takes ordinary people and shows them the divine when they are humble before Him. He can not even use us if we are not humbled. He used a young girl who knew nothing of the world beyond her little corner. She was inexperienced in things of the world but she was used by God to change the world. He had a plan to send "his only begotten son"(John 3:16b) "that the world through him might be saved."(John 3:17b)

How can God use each one of us? He especially uses the faithful. When we walk in faith we expect miracles and understand that we need to be used by Him as part of our Christian walk. We need to be aware of opportunities in which we can serve Him and His Kingdom. We are to be active among the body of believers as well as witnesses to the unsaved. We need to lift each other up and encourage each other along in our Christian walk. This we do out of love for God and love for each other.

We recognize that God uses the humble and so we recognize the need to repeat such scriptures as Phillipians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me", into the ears of our fellow laborers in Christ. Many of us are fearful. We're usually afraid that we won't measure up to His expectations. But, "Fear not"! God knows who we are before he commissions us!

Gabriel told Mary, "Fear not" and she ran to her cousin to share her joy and they rejoiced together. It's been said that there are no "Lone Ranger" Christians. We are encouraged to meet together as we see in Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." But also on an individual level we see in Luke 1 how two women who are related to each other have even stronger bonds than their family ties, as they are bonded in their joy in the Lord. Our greatest spiritual ties will often be found with our Christian brothers and sisters and not our natural families.

As we go about our daily business, let's each be aware of the presence of God, His call on our lives and the miracles with which He reveals himself to us. As we witness of these miracles, lets encourage each other in love. While a life filled with miracles is common to a Christian, it is also a life in which there is much to overcome. In fact, there will be much tribulation in the life of a Christian. Let's lift each other up in prayer with words of encouragement and grace. Mary had company in her pregnancy with her cousin Elizabeth. They shared their good news. Mary also had company in her grief; she was joined by other godly women at the foot of the cross on which her firstborn Son, our Savior Jesus, was crucified.

*Merriam-Websters Online Dictionary

The Christmas Story

2009-12-04T19:48:00.010-05:00

As we look forward to Christmas, this Advent season, we will be examining some of the verses that tell us of the birth of our Savior. Over the next few weeks, I hope that we will grow in our joy and appreciation of the Christmas story as we look into it more deeply. For now, read and enjoy the following scriptures from the King James Version of God's Holy Word.

The prophet Isaiah promises a hope for the future which will be fulfilled in Jesus. Part of the prophecy of the coming Messiah that Isaiah gives, is as follows:

Luke 1:26-56

Mary submits to God's will after the angel Gabriel tells her of God's plans for her and for the world... Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27) to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28) And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29)And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30) And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 31) And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33) and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34) Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35) And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36) And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37) For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38) And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

39) And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; 40) and entered into the house of Zechariah, and saluted Elisabeth. 41) And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42) and she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43) And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44) For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45) And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

Mary is exultant...

46) And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

47) and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.48) For he hath regarded the low estate of his hand maiden:
for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

49) For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
and holy is his name. '

50) And his mercy is on them that fear him
from generation to generation.

51) He hath showed strength with his arm;
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52) He hath put down the mighty from their seats,
and exalted them of low degree.

53) He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich he hath sent empty away.

54) He hath holpen his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy;

55) as he spake to our fathers,
to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

56) And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

We are now picking up the story of Joseph, Mary and Joseph in Luke ch. 2:1-20...

1) And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2) (And this taxing was first made when Cyre'ni-us was governor of Syria.) 3) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he was of the house and lineage of David,) 5) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7) And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

The witness of the shepherds...

8)And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9) And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. 10) And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12) And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14)Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men.

15) And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16) And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17) And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18) And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19) But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20)And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

More to come...

Love, Forgiveness and Repentance

2009-12-04T08:58:00.003-05:00

Pray with me and others who treasure the heritage we have in our children. Jesus said, "Suffer (let) little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." (Luke 18:16b,c KJV)

Jesus was concerned with the innocent, but He also preached a Gospel of repentance and forgiveness as we see below.

"Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him." (Luke 17:1-4 KJV)

When we repent of sin, God forgives us. If you have had an abortion, Jesus is waiting to take you into his arms in forgiveness and love.