Monday, March 17,
2014, 8:35 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put this song in mind:
Arise and Shine /
An Original Work
March 6, 2014 / Based
off Isaiah 60
Arise and shine; your
Lord has come.
Allow His light to
flow through you,
For many walk in
wickedness.
Show them the way to
life anew.
Arise and shine. Your
Lord loves you.
Lift up your eyes, and
look about.
Some do believe, while
others doubt.
Believe in all God’s
promises.
The many will, In
Christ, find rest.
Lift up your eyes, and
you’ll be blessed.
Arise and shine;
salvation comes
To all who trust in
Christ, God’s Son.
Forgiven of their
sins, they’ll be,
When they repent on
bended knee.
Arise and shine, so
all will see.
Lift up your eyes, and
see your Lord.
He will revive his
church, forlorn.
Though humans have forsaken
you,
They will find Christ,
and walk in truth.
Lift up your eyes; God
honors you.
Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Jeremiah 14 (NIV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+14&version=NIV
Hunger and Thirst
This
is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
“Judah
mourns,
her cities languish;
they
wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
…find
no water… unfilled…
…their
eyes fail
for lack of food.” ~ vv. 1-6
The people of God of old were being punished for their sins
of rebellion against Almighty God. Time and time again the Lord sent messages
to his people through his prophets, calling on them to repent of their sins and
to return to their Lord, but so many of them did not listen to the words of the
Lord. They continued in their sin and refused to listen to God’s words, even
though the Lord warned them that if they continued in their rebellion that he
would come against them in judgment.
Although this was speaking of physical judgment in the form
of famine and drought against God’s people, I saw a spiritual parallel here
regarding the subject of sin. Because of man’s original sin in the Garden of
Eden, all of mankind has been born with a sin nature, separated from God, and destined
to die in their sins and to face eternal punishment in hell. Humankind, thus,
has since been in a spiritual drought, void of the Living Water to quench their
spiritual thirst; hungering after what will never satisfy the deep longings of
their souls. They will search and search, but come up empty, because they are
trying to fill up their lives with stuff, junk, temporal pleasures and that
which will always leave them unfulfilled.
Our Only Hope
“Although
our sins testify against us,
do something, Lord, for the sake of your
name.
For
we have often rebelled;
we have sinned against you.
You
who are the hope of Israel,
its Savior in times of distress,
…do
not forsake us!” ~ vv. 7-9
God did do something about sin. Amen! God the Father sent
his Son Jesus Christ to earth to take on the likeness of human flesh, to suffer
as we suffer, to be tempted in like manner in which we are tempted, yet without
sin, and to die on the cross for our sins. When he died, he took the sins of
the entire world upon him, putting them to death with him, burying them with
him, and then when he was resurrected from the dead he conquered our sin. He
did all of this for you and for me so that we could be forgiven of our sin and
have the hope of eternal life with him in heaven. Yet, he didn’t die just so we
could go to heaven one day. He died so we would be set free from slavery
(bondage) to sin on a daily basis, and so we could daily walk with him in his
righteousness and holiness, in the power of his strength within us.
Love to Wander
This
is what the Lord says about this people:
“They
greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet.
So
the Lord does not accept them;
he will now remember their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.”
Then
the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although
they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings
and grain offerings, I will not accept them...” ~ vv. 10-12
For those of us who have received Jesus Christ into our
lives to be our Lord and Savior, and who have submitted to the cross of Christ
and to the Spirit’s work of transformation in our hearts in death to sin and to
new life in Christ, we have been forgiven of our sins, and we have been set
free to no longer live for ourselves but to walk in the freedom of the Spirit
of God within us in Christ’s true holiness and righteousness (See 2 Co. 5:15; Eph.
4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14).
Yet, many of Christ’s followers have since wandered away
from the truth and have gone off to follow after the gods of this world and of
the flesh of humankind, and they have forsaken their Lord. Though they may be
genuinely saved, they have broken fellowship with their Lord through their
unfaithfulness. And, so God is calling them to repentance and renewed faith,
yet he is also warning of divine discipline if repentance is lacking (See Rev.
2-3). He is not interested in our empty forms of religion, but he desires our hearts
to be faithful to Him.
Lies and Deceptions
But
I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not
see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this
place.’”
Then
the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not
sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you
false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.
Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in
my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will
touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine. And the
people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem
because of the famine and sword. ~ vv. 13-16a
Alas, one of the big problems that Christians face in this
world is that the true word of God is not being taught much in today’s
evangelical church (especially here in America). So many teachers have diluted
the gospel of Jesus Christ to where it is barely recognizable as the gospel
anymore. They give feel-good messages which are pleasing to the itching ears of
those who want to hear them. Sin, the Fall of Man, separation from God, the
destiny of hell and/or our need of salvation are rarely mentioned anymore,
though there are exceptions.
So many are teaching (or implying) that everyone has God
within them, and that we should just love on each other and all get along
(ecumenicalism and syncretism), while others, though they preach salvation, do
not mention the need for repentance and for a walk of faith in Christ’s
righteousness and holiness. Still others give the impression that God never
disciplines his rebellious children, and so many who profess Christ have lost
the fear (awe, respect, and honor) of God, and have become very casual (unconcerned)
about their relationships with Christ and about holy living.
Acknowledging Sin
We
hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for
a time of healing
but there is only terror.
We
acknowledge our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;
we have indeed sinned against you.
For
the sake of your name do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.
Remember
your covenant with us
and do not break it. ~ vv. 19b-21
The people had hoped for physical peace because they were
listening to the wrong voices. They thought they could continue in their sinful
rebellion against God, and that God would do nothing. What loving parent does
nothing when his or her child refuses to listen, to heed his instruction, and to
do what is right? God is love! Because he loves us, he will discipline his
children as he sees fit in order to help us to remain faithful to him and to
walk in his ways, because he knows that is what is best for us. Yet, even
though we are faithless, our God is always faithful! Amen! He will never break
covenant with us, but he may allow us to go through difficult times in order to
bring us to repentance and renewed faith in him.
When we repent of our sin and rebellion against God,
forsaking our idols, and we turn to follow our Lord Jesus again, he will revive
us, renew us, and he will comfort us with his love and mercy. I am a living
testimony of his forgiving grace and his awesome mercy! Amen!
Praise Be Told! /
An Original Work / December 28, 2013
Based off Various Scriptures
He was pierced for our
transgressions.
He was crushed for all
our sin.
Our chastisement was
upon Him.
By His stripes, we now
are healed.
He has witnessed all
our trials,
And the sins we choose
to wear.
Yet, while we were dead
in our sin,
Jesus died, our sins
to bear.
He himself bore all of
our sins
In His body on a
cross,
So that we might die
to our sin,
And live for His
righteousness.
By faith in the pow’r
of Jesus
And His blood shed for
our sins,
We can be forgiven our
sin,
And have life with God
in heav’n.
He will lead us and
He’ll guide us
In the way that we
should go.
He will comfort and
protect us,
Because Jesus, we do
know.
Though He disciplines
for our good,
He will heal us –
Praise be told!
Do not fear, your Lord
is with you.
Just have faith in
Christ your Lord.
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