If we trust only in this life, what a hopeless existence...BUT, there is hope!
These are not my words, but God's words.
Matthew 7:21" Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, " I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM."
John 10:30 (Jesus Said) I and the Father are one."
John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM (He, God), you will die in your sins." (Jesus speaking)
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 17:3"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Jesus is God, who became a Man, so that He could be the substitute for our punishment. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and the penalty of sin is death. Jesus paid our sin debt. He became our nearest blood relative in order to die in our place. God's spirit did not die on the cross because the spirit never dies. Jesus died bodily on the cross. Only those who put their trust and belief in His work on the cross can be saved from the penalty of sin.
John 1
The Word Became Flesh (If you look carefully at this passage and make a list of everything you learn about the Word, you will discover that The Word was God (vs.1) and the Word was Jesus (vss.14 and 18).
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
NOW:
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, " I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
Acts 16:30-31 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
John 9:38 And he said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped Him.
Definition of Believe: Be`lieve´
v. t. 1. To exercise belief in; to credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of, upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by circumstances other than personal knowledge; to regard or accept as true; to place confidence in; to think; to consider; as, to believe a person, a statement, or a doctrine.
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
- Acts viii. 37.
v. i. 1. To have a firm persuasion, esp. of the truths of religion; to have a persuasion approaching to certainty; to exercise belief or faith.
Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
- Mark ix. 24.
With the heart man believeth unto righteousness.
Praise to God for a Living Hope
1 Peter 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Getting involved in an argument that is none of your business is like going down the street and grabbing a dog by the ears. Someone who tricks someone else and then claims that he was only joking is like a crazy person playing with a deadly weapon. Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, quarreling stops. Charcoal keeps the embers glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive. Gossip is so tasty! How we love to swallow it! Insincere talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze on a cheap clay pot. A hypocrite hides hate behind flattering words. They may sound fine, but don't believe him, because his heart is filled to the brim with hate. He may disguise his hatred, but everyone will see the evil things he does. People who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed. You have to hate someone to want to hurt him with lies. Insincere talk brings nothing but ruin. Proverbs 26:17-28
I guess my prayer today is “LORD, let my words be few”….That reminds me of a song (yeah, I know, everything does).
(LET MY WORDS BE FEW, by Philips Craig & Dean)
You are God in heaven
And here am I on earth
So I'll let my words be fewJesus,
I am so in love with You
And I'll stand in awe of You, Jesus
Yes, I'll stand in awe of You
And I'll let my words be few
Jesus, I am so in love with You
The simplest of all love songs
I want to bring to You
So I'll let my words be few
Jesus, I am so in love with You
Often, I think of Jesus’ words; how they were few, but they were powerful. Not one of His Words fell to the ground void. Not one of His Words were useless or in vain. Not one of His Words were wasted or sinful. Paul had the humble gumption of saying, “Imitate me, then, just as I imitate Christ” 1 Cor. 11:1. Oh, to be that brave! I want my words to be few and yet, truthful. Truthful and yet, full of love and mercy. Full of love and mercy and yet, direct. Full of mercy, direct and yet, worthy of following. Words of worth, spoken by a person of worth; not worthless words spoken by a worthless person. I don’t want to be worthless. I tremble at 2 Kings 17:15, “They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the LORD's command not to imitate them”. We are not to imitate worthless people. We are to imitate Christ; in word and in deed. When I ponder Hebrews 13:7, “Remember your former leaders, who spoke God's message to you. Think back on how they lived and died, and imitate their faith”, I remember my 1st Spiritual mentor, Gayle Shaw. She was worthy to imitate, because she always sought to imitate Christ. She wasn’t perfect, but she tried to be…humbly and without telling a soul.
So what does the Scripture teach us about our words? Well, Psalm 37:30-31 says: The words of good people are wise, and they are always fair. They keep the law of their God in their hearts and never depart from it. King David knew how to choose his words, as it is written, My thoughts will be clear; I will speak words of wisdom. I will turn my attention to proverbs and explain their meaning as I play the harp. Psalm 49:3-4. Wisdom instructs us, My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen to my words. Never let them get away from you. Remember them and keep them in your heart. They will give life and health to anyone who understands them. Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. Never say anything that isn't true. Have nothing to do with lies and misleading words. Proverbs 4:20-24
Well, it all sounds easy enough, except when we are wronged. When we are lied about and our character is slandered. What about the times we want to defend ourselves or defend God’s ministry on the earth? Immediately, Wisdom speaks the answer, The LORD sees to it that truth is kept safe by disproving the words of liars. Proverbs 22:12 Do I really believe God is Truth and there is no lie in Him. Do I really believe that though every man be a liar, God is not a man that He would lie to me? Do I really believe that God keeps His Word and promises to me and no matter what the circumstances seem to be, that God will keep His words? If I believe God, then I have to believe Proverbs 22:12. He will disprove the words of liars. He will see to it that truth is kept safe. But I have to let my words be few. I guess my prayer today is “LORD, let my words be few”….That reminds me of a song (yeah, I know, everything does).