Archive for October, 2018
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:8, ESV
It is so easy to get distracted by and focused on the bad things in life and this world.
Ask God to help you see the good, beautiful, just, true things in each moment. (It helps a lot with stress and cynicism!)
We continue looking at hymns and songs that impacted my spiritual life – and with another reminder to check out the other blog I contribute to, ProverbialThought.com, and the daily thoughts on the Bible (specifically Proverbs) – with another song (No direct relation to last week’s hymns.)
Come, Thou fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send Thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
(Romans 3:11-12, ESV)
We are all – every single human who has ever or will ever live (save for Jesus) – sinners. We all have refused God in some way, and none of us have wanted to seek out God … without His help.
Even me.
But Jesus came – God took on a body of flesh – and lived a sinless life so that He could be the perfect, spotless, stainless sacrifice for our sins. After His death and resurrection, He ascended to the Father’s right hand, and they sent the Holy Spirit to draw us to in, save us, and sanctify us. (Big words, but you can look them up!)
If we truly understood how big this act is, how much grace God has and is showing us, we would be unable to stand under the weight of it. Instead, we would not be able to do anything but fall to our knees in gratitude and sing His praises for seeking out and saving lost sinners.
Like us.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5, ESV
Sometimes it can feel like evil is winning.
We must remember that Christ Jesus has already won the day, through the cross. He is returning one day to vanquish evil and darkness once and for all!
These are some good thoughts.
-Daniel
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 12:13, ESV
Everything is meaningless without God.
And what is the meaning of life and calling for every human?
The two greatest commandments: Love God and love others.
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11, ESV
Why is reading and meditating on (thinking about) Scripture important?
We memorize it, and it guides us out of temptation and away from sin. (See Jesus in Matthew and Luke chapters 4.)
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
1 John 3:16, ESV
Our greatest example showed true love: sacrificing everything for the good of others.
How well are you doing this?
Yep.
I typically avoid discussing politics too much, but this is one aspect which should be discussed.
Head on over to Anthony’s site and read around a bit. Sure, sometimes he gets going on a rant, but it is his blog! This entry, however, should be something that we as Christians agree on.Daniel
How many times do folks like myself have to remind fellow believers that even if you dislike the man, Donald Trump is the President of the United States, and we are therefore instructed to petition God on his behalf, to pray for him when he might not even recognize his needs, and to thank God for him.
Don’t believe me?
First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. – 1 Timothy 2:1-4 CSB
Notice the “why’s” attached to the above commands:
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Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23, ESV
On our own, we mess up and falter.
Christ is our faithful and true witness. Hold tightly to Him above all.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Jude 1:20-21, ESV
Do not merely go to church.
Cherish your salvation!
Read your Bible!
Serve others in love!
Because He loved us enough to come and die for us. We ought to be ready to do the same for Him.
a simple man of God 