For Training in Righteousness

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17 ESV).

 

So, what is this saying? It is saying, basically, that even though all Scripture may not apply to us specifically, like if it is under the Old Covenant, or if it is spoken to a particular people (or person) at a particular time under specific circumstances relating only to them, that we can still learn from it.

 

But… and this is really important here… if we are reading any teaching or promises or instructions which are given under the Old Covenant (or in the Old Testament), we need to interpret them and apply them in light of the New Covenant.

 

Is the teaching or promise or instruction repeated for us in the New Testament? Is it in agreement with what is taught under the New Covenant?

 

And the reason that this is so important is that many people are pulling Scriptures out of the Bible, from the Old and New Testaments, and they are removing them from their context, and they are applying them in ways in which God did not intend, or which don’t apply to them.

 

For example, today’s passage is from Joshua 1. Moses had died, and now Joshua was to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land. But not every promise that God gave to Joshua applies to all of us, so we have to be so careful that we don’t misapply the promises He gave to Joshua, thinking we have the same promises from God. We may, but we may not.

 

Certainly, though, we can apply “I will never leave you or forsake you,” if we are truly in Christ Jesus, by genuine faith in him. And we can apply “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” But this is providing that we are going with God, and that he is the one directing our paths.

 

Joshua 1:6 ESV

 

“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”

 

Okay, so right from the start here we see that these were God’s words specifically to Joshua. Obviously, we are not all called to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land, at least not in the same literal sense as what Joshua was called to do. But we can learn from this, right?

 

What are we called to do? As followers of Jesus Christ, we are all called to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people of the world and with the worldly church, too, which is teaching a false gospel. For, we are also called to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness and to proclaim the truth.

 

And what is our Promised Land? It is our eternal life with Christ Jesus in heaven. It is our inheritance in God’s eternal kingdom. So how can we lead people to this inheritance? By sharing with them the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

And that truth is that Jesus died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. For, he died to free us from our slavery to sin and to empower us to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to God (1 Pet 2:24; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; Tit 2:11-14).

 

And why do we need to be strong and courageous? Because people are not going to like the message of the gospel, including many who call themselves Christians. They didn’t like it when Jesus taught it or when the apostles taught it, yet many more received it then than who receive it now, it seems.

 

So, we need to be strong and courageous because we are going to face much opposition, even from those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, and even from pastors and church leaders and Bible study leaders and from family members, too, etc. But we can’t let that deter us.

 

Joshua 1:7-9 ESV

 

“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

 

And what law or what commands must we follow? We are not under the Old Covenant, so we don’t have to obey all those old purification or ceremonial laws. God’s moral laws remain intact, though, and they are repeated for us under the New Covenant. We have to obey any New Covenant teachings.

 

And we must not turn from them to the right or to the left. We must not walk in sin now that we are born of the Spirit, but we must walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and in righteousness. For, if we walk according to our sinful flesh, we will die, not live with Christ for eternity.

 

The Word of God (all that agrees with the New Covenant and is repeated for us under the New Covenant) should not depart from our lips. Very specifically the gospel of Christ should not depart from our lips. We should be speaking it to others consistently and we should be meditating on it and doing what it says to do.

 

Then we will be successful in the eyes of God in our walks of faith in Jesus Christ. And that success is measured by the word of God and by the fruit that we bear for God’s eternal kingdom. For if we are fruitless, we will not inherit eternal life with God. For, Jesus Christ is to be our life. And he is to be our only hope, too. We need to make him our only Lord (master).

 

Only Hope

 

By Jonathan Foreman

 

I give you my destiny

I'm giving you all of me

I want your symphony

Singing in all that I am

At the top of my lungs

I'm giving it my all

 

So, I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours

I know now you're my only hope

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gnS7ZEbEqU

Caution: This link may contain ads

Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of the singers nor of all their music

I Found it Necessary

Jude 1:3-4 ESV

 

“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

 

This is where we are today, too. There are ungodly people in our midst masquerading as servants of righteousness who are perverting the grace of God into sensuality and who deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ over their lives. And this has become so prevalent in the church that it necessitates some of us writing appealing to the saints to contend for the faith.

 

We can’t ignore this. We can’t look the other way. We can’t just write about what sounds good or what makes people feel good while the gospel of our salvation is being slaughtered, and while people are still living in bondage to sin and headed for hell while they are being told they are saved from their sins and that they are headed to heaven.

 

For, what is being taught broadly is that we can make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and that guarantees us salvation from sin and eternal life with God regardless of how we live our lives from now on until we die. In fact, many are teaching that we don’t have to repent (turn from our sins) or obey the Lord or submit to him as Lord (owner-master) of our lives.

 

So, they are giving free license to those who profess faith in Christ to continue living in adultery, immorality, sexual perversion, lying, cheating, stealing and the like. For they convince them that a profession of faith in Jesus Christ is like fire insurance which covers them so that they can live recklessly, in rebellion, and in deliberate disobedience to God.

 

Nonetheless, Jesus died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us. And he shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God that we might be the Lord’s possession and that we might honor God with our lives/bodies.

 

[1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15, 21; Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Eph 2:8-10]

 

For, Scripture teaches us that if we continue living in sin, if sin is what we practice, and if we are walking (conducting our lives) according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit, that we will die in our sins. We won’t have eternal life with God. And it teaches, too, that we are all going to be judged by our works (our deeds), i.e., by what we do.

 

[Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 2 Co 5:10]

 

Jude 1:12-13 ESV

 

“These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.”

 

[Please read all of Jude 1. It would be too long to quote the whole passage here, so if you read it yourself it will help with your understanding of it.]

 

So, the subject here is the ungodly people who have crept in unnoticed into the gatherings of the church who are perverting the gospel of grace into sensuality and who are denying the Lordship of Christ over their lives. They have no consciences about what they do.

 

They will lie to you straight to your faces while they pretend to sincerely care about you. But truly they are just caring about themselves. They want you to think they care about you so that you will support what they do, and so that you will believe what they teach.

 

Some of them are just looking to build their earthly kingdoms and so they make compromises with the world in order to attract the world to their gatherings. And they dilute the gospel message to make it appealing and non-offensive so that people will feel at home in the “church.”

 

Others are more sinister than that. They work for Satan, and they are wolves in sheep’s clothing, and so their goal is to lead people away from Jesus Christ and from his gospel by giving them a fake alternative to the true gospel and the real Jesus Christ.

 

Jude 1:24-25 ESV

 

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

 

We don’t have to be taken in by these charlatans. If we are truly in Christ, by faith in him, the Lord will give us wisdom and insight to know truth from lies. But we must also be students of the Scriptures and those who test whatever we hear against the Scriptures (in context).

 

For, the Lord is quite capable of keeping us from stumbling, but we have to be listening to him and obeying him. For, he has made the way of escape for us out from underneath temptation to sin, but we must take the way out he provided for us. We must say “NO!” to sin and “YES!” to God (Tit 2:11-14).

 

Our Lord is also able to present us blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. But we must die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. We must walk (in conduct) according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9).

 

We must remain in Christ and in his word, and he must be Lord of our lives. Our focus needs to be on him, and on walking in obedience to his commands (New Covenant). Our desire must be for him above all else, and we must be those who are listening to him and who are doing what he says.

 

I Will Lift My Eyes  

 

An Original Work / December 12, 2012

Based off Psalms 121-125

 

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.

Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

I give thanks to Him.

 

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.

Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.

Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;

My home, now in heav’n.

 

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.

Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

I can count on Him.

 

https://vimeo.com/379508241

For Which He Sent It

Isaiah 55:6-7 ESV

 

“Seek the Lord while he may be found;

    call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake his way,

    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,

    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

 

Time on this earth is not forever. One day it is going to run out for us. Not one of us knows when we are going to breathe our last breath. It could be now, or ten minutes from now, or it could be tomorrow, or the next day, or years from now. But the point is, we don’t know.

 

So, when this says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found,” it means there is going to be a time when he won’t be found. So, don’t think like you can do it another time, for another time may never come. For, you may die tonight. So, seek (pursue, go after, chase after) him now.

 

And Jesus said that if we want to come after him we must first deny (disallow) self (the flesh). Then we must take up our cross daily (not just once), and we must die with him to sin and to self. And then we must follow him in surrender and in obedience to his will for our lives (Lu 9:23-26; cf. Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9).

 

And please note this. A one-time decision to believe in Jesus will not pardon you forever. Scripture does not teach once saved always saved. It teaches our salvation as a process of a lifetime that will not be complete until Jesus returns and he takes us home. And it teaches that we will be judged by our works (Rom 8:24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8).

 

It also teaches that we must walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh if we want to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God. And we must continue in that faith which daily dies with Christ to sin until the very end (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15, 21; Col 1:21-23).

 

Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV

 

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

We, as humans, do not think like God does. Our ways are not his ways. And this could not be more evident by what so many people today who call themselves Christians are teaching with regard to the gospel of our salvation. For they are teaching a gospel the exact opposite of Christ’s.

 

For many of them are leaving out the part of the gospel which teaches the wicked to forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and that he should turn to the Lord in humble submission to God’s will for our lives. They are not teaching dying with Christ to sin and living to Christ and to his righteousness. For, they claim that is all works-based salvation.

 

There are those who are teaching a form of repentance, but it is more just like a confession (acknowledgement) of sin, but there is no turning away from (dying to) sin, for they keep repeating the same sins over again. But if we make sin our practice we will die in our sins, not have eternal life.

 

Most are teaching a gospel that is a one-time decision to believe in Jesus, but which does not require death to sin and living to righteousness or continued walks of faith until the end. And so, they give free license to their adherents to continue living in sin, only now without guilt or remorse.

 

But our Lord’s plan of salvation was/is to free us from our slavery to sin and to give us new lives in him empowered of the Spirit of God to walk in holiness and righteousness, strengthened by God’s Spirit. And it is that we continue in him and in his word and that we walk in it until the end.

 

Isaiah 55:10-11 ESV

 

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

    and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

    it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

 

God will do what he says. His word will not return empty. It will accomplish the purpose for which he sent it. If he says we will die in our sins if we continue walking in sin, then we will die. We won’t go to heaven.

 

But if he says that if we die with him to sin, and if we live to him and to his righteousness that we will have eternal life with God, then we can count on it. For, his word is true. He does not lie. But we lie if we say we have fellowship with him but we continue to live in sin (1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6).

 

For, Jesus died to free us from our slavery to sin, not to forgive us our sins so that we can continue in sin guilt free. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us. And He shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God so that we would now be God’s possession, and so we would now honor God with our lives.

 

[1 Pet 2:24; Rom 6:1-23; 2 Co 5:15, 21; 1 Co 6:19-20; Tit 2:11-14]

 

Only Hope

 

By Jonathan Foreman

 

I give you my destiny

I'm giving you all of me

I want your symphony

Singing in all that I am

At the top of my lungs

I'm giving it my all

 

So, I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours

I know now you're my only hope

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gnS7ZEbEqU

You are My Only Hope

Isaiah 53:1-3 ESV

“Who has believed what he has heard from us?

    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant,

    and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

    and no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,

    a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

What is Praiseworthy?

Isn’t this so different from today’s modern church’s perspective about what is praiseworthy? If Jesus would walk into the doors of today’s modern churches he would be an outcast there, too. He would be despised and rejected there, as well, because he doesn’t fit with their marketing schemes.

So much of what is passed off as Christian in today’s modern market-driven “churches” is of man, not of God, and according to human standards, not according to God’s standards of holiness and godliness and purity. And so much of what they consider as praiseworthy is also by human standards.

But God doesn’t judge as humans judge. He doesn’t look on the outward appearance, but on the heart. He is not so much interested in whether something sounds good to the ears as he is concerned about the truth of what is being shared or sung or taught.

God is not interested in appearance, but in practice. He is not impressed by the show and the performance. He is looking for hearts surrendered to him, willing and ready to do his will no matter the cost, no matter if we are also despised and rejected of men because we are living for our Lord.

Why Despised and Rejected?

Jesus wasn’t despised and rejected for his outward appearance. He was rejected because he claimed to be God, and because he told people that they were sinners, and because he called them to repentance, and he demanded that they leave everything to follow him with their lives.

They hated him and they rejected him because he told them that they had to leave their sins behind them, that they had to die with him to sin, and that they must follow him in obedience to his commands and to his ways in total surrender to him as Lord (owner-master) of their lives (Lu 9:23-26).

The Pharisees, the priests, the scribes, the Sadducees, and the teachers of the law were opposed to Jesus and to his ministry, for the most part, because he claimed to be God (their Messiah), and because he confronted them with their sins, and because he didn’t do what they did.

They didn’t like him because he didn’t conform to their likeness. He wasn’t like them, and he stood out as different. They were jealous of him, too, and of his popularity (temporary) among the people. They felt threatened by him, as they were concerned their own positions of authority might be in jeopardy.

And, if we follow Jesus with our lives, and if we conform to his likeness, and if we do and say the kinds of things he did and said, and if we stand for truth and righteousness, and if we confront and expose evil for what it is, we also will be despised and rejected of men, and we will have much sorrow, too.

Isaiah 53:4-6 ESV

“Surely he has borne our griefs

    and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

    smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

    and with his wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

    we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.”

But good came out of all that Jesus suffered on this earth. For, in his death on that cross, he took upon himself the sins of the entire world. He put those sins to death with him on that cross so that, by faith in him, we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness (1 Pet 2:24).

For, we were all like sheep who had gone astray, each one to his own way. We were dead in our sins, bound for hell, without hope, and without God. For all of us have sinned, and in ourselves we all come up short of attaining God’s divine approval and his righteousness (Rom 3:23).

But Jesus became our sacrificial Lamb whose blood was shed on that cross for the sins of the whole world. He died that horrible death, and he was raised from the dead, in order that we might be crucified with Christ in death to sin and that we might be raised with Christ to newness of life in him (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Lu 9:23-26; Gal 2:20).

He died for us on that cross that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us. For, he shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God so that we would now be God’s possession, and so we would now honor God with our lives (1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15, 21).

Isaiah 53:10-11 ESV

“Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

    he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

    make many to be accounted righteous,

    and he shall bear their iniquities.”

It was the will of God which sent Jesus Christ, God the Son, to the cross to die for our sins. And it is the will of God that we who believe in him should die with him to sin and walk with him in holiness and in purity of devotion to him and no longer live according to our flesh (Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9).

By faith in Jesus Christ, we are made righteous, but this is not just positional righteousness. For, it is those of us who practice righteousness who are righteous (1 Jn 3:7). For, we must walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh if we want to be saved and have eternal life with God (Rom 8:1-17; Rom 6:1-23; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Lu 9:23-26; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8).

So, our hope in Jesus Christ is not just that we are forgiven our sins and that we are given the hope of eternal life with God. Our hope in Jesus is that he died for us to free us from our slavery to sin so that we can now walk in holiness and purity of devotion to him in the power of God.

And in that hope we are saved. And in that hope is where we live. For, if we walk according to our flesh, and if we make sin our practice, we will die in our sins. We will not have eternal life with God (Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8).

Only Hope

By Jonathan Foreman

I give you my destiny

I'm giving you all of me

I want your symphony

Singing in all that I am

At the top of my lungs

I'm giving it my all

So, I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours

I know now you're my only hope

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gnS7ZEbEqU

Caution: This link may contain ads

Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of the singers or of all their music

He Knows the Way That I Take

Job 23:1-7 ESV

 

“Then Job answered and said:

 

“’Today also my complaint is bitter;

    my hand is heavy on account of my groaning.

Oh, that I knew where I might find him,

    that I might come even to his seat!

I would lay my case before him

    and fill my mouth with arguments.

I would know what he would answer me

    and understand what he would say to me.

Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?

    No; he would pay attention to me.

There an upright man could argue with him,

    and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.’”

 

Job was a righteous man in God’s sight. And God had blessed him with much. But God presented Job to Satan for his consideration, and he gave Satan permission to cause Job much suffering. Thus, Job lost his servants, his animals, and his children all in a single day.

 

And Job said, “’Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’

 

“In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” Job 1:21-22

 

Then the Lord gave Satan permission to afflict Job on his body as long as he spared Job’s life. So, Satan struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

 

Then Job’s 3 friends came to Job to comfort him and to show him sympathy. They sat with him in silence for 7 days and nights. And then Job spoke, regretting that he had even been born, his suffering was so great. And then Job’s friends began to speak, yet they assumed that Job’s suffering was a result of some sin in his life, and thus they sought to get him to confess.

 

But Job knew that he had not sinned against God. He knew that this suffering was not the result of wrongdoing on his part. So, he felt confident that if he presented his case before the Lord that the Lord would hear him, not contend with him, for Job knew he was upright in heart and that God would acquit him of any wrongdoing.

 

Job 23:8-12 ESV

 

“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,

    and backward, but I do not perceive him;

on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;

    he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.

But he knows the way that I take;

    when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.

My foot has held fast to his steps;

    I have kept his way and have not turned aside.

I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;

    I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.”

 

Have you ever faced a trial so severe in your life that you couldn’t feel God’s presence? And it seemed as though he was silent? And even though you prayed and you sought God for answers, you heard nothing? I have been there, and that is a horrible feeling.

 

So, you have to assure yourself of what you know to be true. You know you can’t go by your feelings, but that you have to rely on the truth you know even when your feelings try to tell you the opposite. For, Satan will use these opportunities to try to get us to doubt God.

 

It is in these times especially that we need to put on that armor of God and fight off Satan’s lies, which he whispers in our ears, and with the sword of the Spirit which is the word of truth. Even if our emotions aren’t there, we must declare the truth we know so that we are not overtaken by the lies.

 

We must remain confident that God is still in control, that he knows who we are, and that he knows the path that we take. And if we have confidence in knowing that we have not departed from his commandments, and that we have held fast to his ways and to his truth, we can assure ourselves that, when God has tried us, that we will come out shining like gold.

 

But this is not out of pride. This is not out of self-righteousness. This is not with an attitude that we think we are better than others. It is just not giving Satan the pleasure of taking us down with his lies and his false accusations. If we are guilty, that is different. But if we are confident before God of our innocence, then we need to trust that the Lord will one day vindicate us.

 

Job 23:13-14 ESV

 

“But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back?

    What he desires, that he does.

For he will complete what he appoints for me,

    and many such things are in his mind.”

 

No matter what we go through in this life, we must believe always in the sovereignty of God over all that he has made. God has a purpose for everything that he does, and for everything that he allows. So, we need to trust him that he knows best, and we must commit our lives into his capable hands.

 

I Will Lift My Eyes  

 

An Original Work / December 12, 2012

Based off Psalms 121-125

 

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.

Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

I give thanks to Him.

 

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.

Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.

Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;

My home, now in heav’n.

 

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.

Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

I can count on Him.

 

https://vimeo.com/379508241

And This is the Victory

1 John 5:1-5 ESV

 

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

 

Context, Context, Context

 

You will hear me say this over again. We can’t remove Scriptures from their context and build doctrines around them. This isn’t saying that we can’t quote individual Scriptures or reference individual Scriptures, but that we need to use and to teach the Scriptures within their proper context.

 

So, we can’t read “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” and apply that broadly to everyone who makes a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. For, we need to understand what the Scriptures teach regarding genuine faith in Jesus Christ.

 

In the book of 1 John alone we learn that if we claim to have fellowship with God but we walk (in conduct, in practice) in darkness (sin, wickedness) that we are liars who don’t live by the truth. And we read that if we say we know him, but we don’t practice obeying his commandments (New Covenant), that we are liars, and the truth is not in us (1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6).

 

We also read that if we love (prefer) the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – that the love of God the Father is not in us. And then we read that if we make a practice of sinning against God that we do not abide in Christ and he does not abide in us. But it is those who practice righteousness who are righteous (1 Jn 2:15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10).

 

Now, it isn’t just the book of 1 John which teaches this. Paul taught the same all throughout his writings. He taught that we must die with Christ to sin and live to Christ and to his righteousness and that if we walk according to the flesh we will die, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, then we will live (Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10, etc.).

 

Born of God

 

If we are truly born of God, born of the Spirit of God to new lives in Christ Jesus, our Lord, we will love God. And to love God is to obey him. If we do not make obedience to our Lord our practice, then we don’t love God and we don’t know God (1 Jn 2:3-6).

 

Also, if we love God then we are going to love those who have also been born of God. In fact, we should love all people for God is love, and he is living within us, so his love is living within us. But this is not human love. This is not some mushy gushy feeling we must have for people.

 

The kind of love we are to have for others is the kind which prefers what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, just, merciful, gracious, kind, pure, honest, faithful, and trustworthy. So, we are not going to lie to, cheat on, steal from, slander, commit adultery against and/or murder others.

 

Instead, we will love others as God/Jesus loves us and gave his life up for us. We will be kind, compassionate, merciful, and gracious. We will care about others’ legitimate needs. And we will share with them the truth of the gospel so that they can know Jesus and have eternal life with him, too.

 

Our Christian brothers and sisters we will encourage in their walks of faith and we will exhort and urge them to follow Jesus in obedience and to forsake their sins. And we will expose to them the lies of Satan, and we will proclaim to them the truth so that they are not led astray by the devil.

 

We are Overcomers

 

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be those who overcome the world. What this means is that we don’t let the world and its enticements overcome us. We are not captivated by the sinful pleasures of the world, and we are not taken in by all its entertainment and distractions.

 

We don’t blend in with the world. We don’t do all the same things that they do. We don’t watch and listen to and participate in all the same things that non-Christians watch, listen to, and participate in. We are to be holy – separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ.

 

So, this also means that we don’t make sin our practice. We don’t commit adultery, lust after others, tell lies, gossip, cheat others and view what is lewd, immoral, and wicked in order to be entertained. And we don’t compromise the truth of the gospel to excuse away habitual sin, either.

 

But we walk (in conduct, in practice) in righteousness and holiness, in the light of truth and godliness. And we do what pleases our Lord, not what pleases our flesh, and not what pleases the people of this world so that they will like us and not reject us.

 

So, how do we do we overcome the world? By faith in Jesus Christ. And that faith dies with Christ to sin and lives to Christ and to his righteousness. And that faith walks in obedience to the Lord’s commands (New Covenant), and it loves others with the love of God. And that is how we overcome.

 

I Will Lift My Eyes 

 

An Original Work / December 12, 2012

Based off Psalms 121-125

 

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.

Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

I give thanks to Him.

 

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.

Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.

Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;

My home, now in heav’n.

 

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.

Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

I can count on Him.

 

https://vimeo.com/379508241

Snake Filled Filthy Water

Psalms 73:1-3 ESV

 

“Truly God is good to Israel,

    to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,

    my steps had nearly slipped.

For I was envious of the arrogant

    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

 

My husband and I live in an apartment complex with woods and a creek behind it which we can see from our porch and out our windows. There is a walking trail out there which runs along the creek. Two of my grandchildren asked me to go walking with them the other day along the trail. They had previously discovered some steps going down to the creek which they wanted to show me.

 

Now, I have equilibrium issues, so I don’t do well with normal steps going downhill if there is not a railing to hold on to, and these steps were treacherous, but my grandchildren had already gone down them so I had to stay with them. It had been raining for days here so they were muddy and slippery, so I had to carefully manage them so that I did not slip and fall. So, I identify with this “my steps had nearly slipped.”

 

So, as I read this Psalm, this is what I pictured in my mind, these steps which were treacherous on which I had nearly slipped and fallen. And then I considered what those steps were leading to. They were leading to this creek, so to water, but what is in this water is certainly questionable, as well as this water is moving rapidly down to the river and it could be filled with snakes. We do know there are snakes in the woods, for sure.

 

My grandson wanted to walk across the creek on a fallen tree but I would not let him. What if he fell? I don’t know what is underneath that water. I don’t know what is in that water. Could be sewage and all sorts of stuff. The water is also moving fast down to the river. What if the water swept him away? How would I rescue him? I can’t swim, either. I am a very protective grandmother. I pray all the time for the safety of my grandchildren.

 

So, anyway, back to the water. In the Bible, water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and eternal life with God and of spiritual cleansing, but this water has questionable properties to it, and it could include raw sewage. It is definitely not pure water, and again, snakes are probably in the water, too, and if anyone fell into the water, they could be swept away with it.

 

So, the picture the Lord was giving me here is of treacherous steps (stages, walks, actions) which are muddy (filthy, wicked) and slippery (smooth, untrustworthy) going downhill (descending, falling away) leading to impure water (an impure gospel, impure life) filled with snakes (devils, evils) and sewage (moral filth) which has the potential of sweeping people away to their deaths if they should fall into it.

 

So, I saw a caution here that we must watch our steps. We must not be careless in our walks of faith. We must not take dangerous risks which could take us in the wrong direction and/or lead to our deaths. We must not play with sin or think we can dabble in this or that which we know is wrong. The danger is that we might be swept away by false doctrines which might lead us to death not to life everlasting with God.

 

We must recognize the dangers that are out there, and the lies coming from the mouths of snakes (false teachers), and we must see the filth that has been inserted into the gospel of our salvation, and we must warn others against falling prey to this false gospel which gives free license for its adherents to continue living in filth, for it will lead to death, not to life.

 

The thing about this water (creek, torrent), though, is that it is beautiful to behold as it moves along flowing toward the river. It is attractive to behold, but what lies underneath it is what is dangerous. And the same is true of a false gospel which has all the appearance of goodness on the outside but which has a snake’s bite waiting for you if you get caught in the stream.

 

Psalms 73:23-28 ESV

 

“Nevertheless, I am continually with you;

    you hold my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

    and afterward you will receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

 

“For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;

    you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.

But for me it is good to be near God;

    I have made the Lord God my refuge,

    that I may tell of all your works.”

 

I stayed with my grandchildren on that walk and I kept warning them not to run off ahead of me. I counseled my grandson not to cross over the creek on that fallen tree for he might fall to his death. I kept my eye on them the whole time and I sought after their safety and their protection. This was uppermost on my mind and in my heart as I walked with them.

 

And the Lord has a similar relationship with his children. He watches over us and he counsels us in the way we should go, and he warns us of dangers lurking ahead or which might be sneaking up on us and coming in behind us. He cautions us against taking careless steps, and he warns against snakes (false teachers) and murky waters (dangerous doctrines).

 

If we start to go the wrong direction, he warns us against danger, or he calls us to not run ahead of him or to not fall behind him, and he encourages us to remain with him and to listen to him. And he gives us all we need to remain steadfast in our faith, to not wander from him, and to stay on the path that he has for us.

 

So, I believe the Lord wants to caution everyone today who professes his name to remain with him and to not wander off, to not take risks, to not test fate, to listen to him and to do what he says, and to find our safety and our protection in him and in him alone, and not in other humans who are bound to fail us, some of whom might lead us in the wrong direction, too.

 

Songs in the Night 

 

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

 

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

 

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

 

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

 

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

 

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

 

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

 

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

 

https://vimeo.com/379484387