Exodus 13: 17 (NIV)
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt."
I will confess that I wonder at times what my life would be like if my path had taken me someplace else. Would I have the same sex and age of children? Would there be other similarities in my life? How would life really be different if (fill in the blank) had (or hadn't) happened? Well, this verse tells me I can wonder all I want but ultimately I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. How? "For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt."" God knew the Israelites better than the Israelites knew the Israelites. This says to me what Garth Brooks says oh so eloquently..."Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." He truly knows the path of least resistance...and He knows how to get us where He wants us to go. Our job is to follow Him and trust His hand implicitly.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Crushed to Glorify
Psalm 53: 10-11
10
But the LORD was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
11
As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
When I first read this passage I went, HUH?! The Lord was PLEASED to crush Him? He's talking about His one and only SON, here!! But then, I kept reading.
I grew more and more astounded and humbled and loved....and positively on-the-floor in thankfulness that God was pleased to offer His Son (who, of anyone I know, would be the only One who could "handle" it) so that my sin...your sin...my "stuff"...your "stuff" could be crossed out with a big, blood-red X. Done so that when He looked at us we would be as white as that lamb He led to slaughter...for US. The Lord was pleased to crush Him because He KNEW that in so doing He was offering us a way Home.
If that doesn't bring tears of amazement, you don't know Jesus. And, if you don't...you can. John 14: 6 says, "Jesus said to him (Thomas), "I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes the Father but through me." Acts 4: 11 & 12 say, "He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." Romans 10: 9 says, "...that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved..." All of this to say that Jesus, the Lamb of God who was slaughtered for us, is the only way to Heaven. We have a choice in the matter...will you accept a love so amazing and pure you can never fully grasp the "why" of it? Or will you continually deny you're lovable and know Him but not KNOW Him? 2 Peter 3:9 ~ "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for ALL to come to repentance." He's there...just like that picture we've seen where Jesus is standing at the door preparing to knock...or maybe He's knocking...just know this: He'll never pound on your door. He's just waiting for you to hear Him. Today?
10
But the LORD was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
11
As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
When I first read this passage I went, HUH?! The Lord was PLEASED to crush Him? He's talking about His one and only SON, here!! But then, I kept reading.
I grew more and more astounded and humbled and loved....and positively on-the-floor in thankfulness that God was pleased to offer His Son (who, of anyone I know, would be the only One who could "handle" it) so that my sin...your sin...my "stuff"...your "stuff" could be crossed out with a big, blood-red X. Done so that when He looked at us we would be as white as that lamb He led to slaughter...for US. The Lord was pleased to crush Him because He KNEW that in so doing He was offering us a way Home.
If that doesn't bring tears of amazement, you don't know Jesus. And, if you don't...you can. John 14: 6 says, "Jesus said to him (Thomas), "I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes the Father but through me." Acts 4: 11 & 12 say, "He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." Romans 10: 9 says, "...that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved..." All of this to say that Jesus, the Lamb of God who was slaughtered for us, is the only way to Heaven. We have a choice in the matter...will you accept a love so amazing and pure you can never fully grasp the "why" of it? Or will you continually deny you're lovable and know Him but not KNOW Him? 2 Peter 3:9 ~ "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for ALL to come to repentance." He's there...just like that picture we've seen where Jesus is standing at the door preparing to knock...or maybe He's knocking...just know this: He'll never pound on your door. He's just waiting for you to hear Him. Today?
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Acts 17: 11
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in (A)Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."
Acts 17: 11
Also read: I John 4: 1-3
Just because someone speaks, writes or shares something that is intriguing or spiritual sounding doesn't mean they are of God! In I John 4:1-3 we find the secret to discerning truth in succinct and clearly laid-out terms. In Acts Paul & Silas were newcomers bringing a message of a new way of thinking, but the Berean church knew to search THE SCRIPTURES to discern the truth (or lies if it would have been the case) of their message. Keep your own mind in check ~ a trusted TV host, a well-0loved author accepted in Christian circles, a worldwide superstar and dream man, your pastor, or even a friend ~ just because they follow a certain line of thought doesn't mean they are speaking truth. You must search the scriptures yourself to discern the truth found in God's Word.
Acts 17: 11
Also read: I John 4: 1-3
Just because someone speaks, writes or shares something that is intriguing or spiritual sounding doesn't mean they are of God! In I John 4:1-3 we find the secret to discerning truth in succinct and clearly laid-out terms. In Acts Paul & Silas were newcomers bringing a message of a new way of thinking, but the Berean church knew to search THE SCRIPTURES to discern the truth (or lies if it would have been the case) of their message. Keep your own mind in check ~ a trusted TV host, a well-0loved author accepted in Christian circles, a worldwide superstar and dream man, your pastor, or even a friend ~ just because they follow a certain line of thought doesn't mean they are speaking truth. You must search the scriptures yourself to discern the truth found in God's Word.
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